This Unexpected Life
by kaylatee012
Summary: Arnold returns from San Lorenzo after 7 years away from Hillwood and the gang. Everyone has grown up and moved on, especially Helga. But when Arnold is set on settling some unfinished business, he turns Helga's world completely upside-down! On top of Helga trying to figure out her feelings on Arnold's return, she's trying to get over this annoying stomach bug that won't go away...
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! Welcome to my story** ** _This Unexpected Life._** **A (hopefully in your opinion) beautiful story dedicated to everyone's favorite (and now completely cannon) cartoon couple...Arnold and Helga!**

 **This story is set in the future. The gang is in their Junior year of high school (around 17 years old).**

 **Summary:**

 _ **Arnold returns from San Lorenzo after 7 years away from Hillwood and the gang. Everyone has grown up and moved on, especially Helga. But when Arnold is set on settling some unfinished business, he turns Helga's world completely upside-down! On top of Helga trying to figure out her feelings on Arnold's return, she's trying to get over this annoying stomach bug that won't go away...**_

 **All of the Characters belong to their rightful owner and creator, Craig Bartlett.**

This Unexpected Life: Prologue

 _"Criminy! What the heck is wrong with me!?"_

This must've been the 4th day in a row that thought has crossed my mind while I was staring into the porcelain abyss. All I wanted to do was brush my teeth before I head off to school. But instead, here I was, Helga G. Pataki, with my whole entire head inside the toilet bowl trying to stop myself from upchucking yet again. This has unfortunately become my normal routine for at least the past week. Wake up, get dressed, attempt to eat breakfast, head to the bathroom, purge, and leave for school. Scary right? The worst part is I have no idea why this is even happening to me.

"Helga? Are you alright, dear?" I could hear Miriam ask softly from outside of the bathroom door. She happened to be in the kitchen this particular morning where she witnessed first hand my rushed trip to the restroom before I made a mess on the floor.

"C'mon, Olga! You're gonna miss the bus if you don't get your keester out of there. And I'm sure as heck not about to be late for work taking you to school!" I could hear my blowhart father exclaim right behind Miriam's worried voice. Leave it to Big Bob Pataki to be worried about his disappontment of a second daughter.

I was able to stop myself from heaving long enough to compose myself and respond.

"Yeah, yeah! Keep your shirt on, Bob! I'll be out in a minute." I tried to yell. I slowly stood up off of the bathroom floor and flushed the horrid remains of this morning's episode down the drain. After slowly making my way to the sink so I could rinse the stench out of my mouth, I was able to glance at my reflection in the mirror. I didn't even recognzie myself. The deep dark-colored bags under my bloodshot, blue eyes gave off the impression that I haven't slept in weeks. It made no sense. I had been so tired lately that I was even skipping softball practice just so I could be home and in bed by 6pm every night. I took one final look at my relfection before shaking my head as if to shake away the irrational thoughts of the possible disease I was dying from. I walked out of the restroom, down the stairs, and out the door after grabbing my school bag. If anything could distract me from my current medical mystery, it was school.

"Good Morning, Helga." I was greeted by a sweet voice, which could only belong to my best friend Phoebe.

"Morning, Pheebs." I replied weakly as I sat beside her on the bus.

"Gosh, Helga! You look awfully pale. Are you still feeling ill?" She gently placed her hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner. I knodded in response. "Maybe you should seek medical attention." she suggested.

"No dice, Pheebs." I responded. "This week is AP exams, and Bob has threatened my sanity by sending me to Alaska to stay with Olga for the summer if I fail. So whatever this is that's making me sick is gonna have to be put on hold. There's no way I can afford to fail these exams." Phoebe continued to stare worridly at me. I gave her a small smile to try and make her feel at ease. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. It takes a lot more than an annoying stomach bug to bring down Helga Pataki."

Phoebe chuckled. "Okay, Helga. If you say so."

I was way too prideful to ever admit it, but I was grateful to have such a great friend like Phoebe in my life. It was nice to have someone show love and concern toward me considering I never received it at home. I'm sure she knows my appreciation towards her without having to say it outright. We have a great connection like that.

"Mornin' Arnold!" At the front of the bus, I could hear my longtime classmate Stinky's southern drawl speak out.

The sound of that torturous name caused my heart to leap into my throat. I almost made a choking sound at the feeling. In as inconspicuous of a manner as I could, I gazed forward to catch a glimpse at the boy with the cornflower hair that has perturbed my heart and soul for the past 14 years of my life.

What I wasn't expecting was that the boy in question would be staring right back into my gaze. This caused my stomach to churn and I felt the familiar tingle in my chest I have felt every morning for the past week before I would blow chunks. I immediately forced my gaze to the floor and placed my hand over my mouth. I made an urgent attempt to control my breathing so the seats in front of me would'nt become a splash zone.

"Helga? Are you feeling sick,again?" I could hear Phoebe's voice echo. It was muffled by my own anxious thoughts swirling in my mind.

 _"Get it together, Helga! He's coming this way! You do NOT want him to think that he has any power over you. Control yourself!"_

"Helga?" my internal peptalk was interrupted by the silky velvet voice that has haunted my dreams the last month. I could feel my heart cease it's beating.

I wasn't sure how, but I was able to build enough strength to pick my head up and look directly at those alluring green eyes of none other than Arnold himself.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a worried pout on his face.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before removing my hand from my mouth to respond. "W-what's it to you, football head?" _Nice going, Helga. Stuttering like an idiot is so convincing._

"I'm just worried about you, that's all" he replied, seeming unfazed by my attempt to be insulting.

"Well don't be." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and turned my head slightly to avoid his gaze.

"Helga, please? It's been a month. Can't we just talk about thi-"

"She's waiting for you, Arnold." I cut off his plea. I couldn't bear to hear him anymore. At this point my head was turned completely away from him. The last thing I could hear was his defeated sigh and his footsteps fading behind me. I knew he making his way to the one girl whom he has always pined for and who would ultimately steal the affections of the boy of my dreams...Lila.

I could feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes, and I refused to let them fall. Phoebe's small hand was placed on my shoulder once again, as if trying to comfort me even though she knew there was nothing she could possibly do. I could feel my shoulders slump forward slightly in defeat. At that moment, I couldn't help but think back to that fateful day 4 weeks ago. It was by far the best day of my entire life...and the worst.

 **I hope you all enjoyed the prologue! The next chapter will be flashback to that fateful day 4 weeks ago. So stay tuned!**

 **Please read and review! All critiques welcome. I am by no means a professional writer. I simply write for fun.**


	2. The Reunion

**Hello everyone! Welcome back. Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews on the first chapter. I've been so anxious to get this next chapter out to you that I didn't exactly finish it to the point that I wanted to. I left it at a good enough stopping point so that way I could upload it sooner rather than later. I hope you like it!**

 **All of the Characters belong to their rightful owner and creator, Craig Bartlett.**

 ***Edit: So, after I uploaded this chapter, I noticed for some reason the name of the teacher wouldn't save, so I had to reformat my sentencing so it would show up. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter One: The Reunion

Finally! My favorite class of the day.

I eagerly stepped through the doors of Mrs. Lancaster's AP Literature class and made my way towards the back of the room where my desk resided. I always looked forward to 5th period. Since the 4th grade, when I discovered my raw talent for poetry and literature, I had always striven to succeed in every English class I took. Even after the subject of my best work was gone, I still had my passion to write.

Today marks 7 years and 14 days since Arnold decided to move to San Lorenzo with his parents. Not that I'm keeping count or anything. After being reunited with his parents on our class trip, and their brief return back to Hillwood, his parents felt that the Green Eyed People still needed to be cared for. As an ancient civilization that chose to remain hidden, they didn't have the proper resources they needed to ensure a healthy survival. Their main concern, mostly Stella's concern, was that they had no access to medical care for their sick and elderly. And Arnold, not being able to bear the thought of separating from his parents once again, decided to join them on their journey. It was one of the hardest decisions he's ever had to make...or so he says.

Shortly before his departure, Arnold and I had become "exclusive". Finally, he returned the feelings I harbored for so long. So when he made his choice to leave, I told him we should break things off now before it became too complicated. But, the stubborn football head was determined to fight for us. That was one thing I could always count on. His blind, sunny optimism would always counteract my antagonistic ways. Reason number 6,452 why I was so in love with the little twerp.

We successfully remained in contact for the first year of our long distance relationship. Weekly letters, poor-signaled phone calls, even the occasional video chat. Sadly, what I had feared was slowly becoming a reality. We both realized we felt more depressed than happy about staying in touch. Mainly because we knew our relationship would never grow this way. We could never go on dates, or hold hands, or even kiss. How can a relationship work under those circumstances?

In as civilized a process as possible, we made the mature decision to remain just friends. We both needed to move on, and to focus on our futures. Even if that meant our futures didn't include each other.

With Arnold out of the picutre, I directed all of my energy into school and extraciricular activities. I became the star player on the HIllwood High softball team, and kept my GPA in tip-top shape. I was determined to leave Hillwood after graduation, and the only way that would happen is to make sure my grades are good enough to get into any college I want as far away as possible. Which is also what brings me to take classes such as AP Literature. The easier it is to get into college the better it is for me.

Today didn't seem to feel different from any other typical day. But the class seemed to be extra conversive this afternoon. None of my childhood friends, besides Phoebe, took AP classes. But with as many strengths as Phoebe posessed when it came to school, English was definitely not one of them. This left me as a "Lone Wolf" in 5th period. I tried to stay reserved, especially since people still annoyed me most days. But today, I was way too curious to know what everyone was fussing about to care about my reputation.

"Hey. What is everyone yappin' about?" I leaned over to the girl on my right. She was a fairly pretty brunette with thick-framed glasses surrounding her hazel eyes. It's a shame I never bothered to know her name. She seemed nice.

She smiled brightly at me. Almost as if she was estatic that I was finally talking to her. "Apparently there's a tranfer student coming into our class today." she responded. Her cheery voice reminded me a lot of Sheena.

I could only scoff in reply. "What kind of sap would tranfer to a knew school a month before summer break? And in an AP class? Poor sucker."

She shook her head with an amused smile on her face. " Mrs. Lancaster said that he went to school in South America. And was in the top of his class." I could hear the girls sitting in front of us giggle while listening to our conversation. Of course the girls would go gaga over some foreign transfer student. Idiots.

"Alright, class. Settle down." Mrs. Lancaster's voice rose above the useless chatter. Everyone began to settle into their seats and the voices slowly died down until there was complete silence.

Mrs. Lancaster and I absolutely hated each other when we first met. She insisted that my personal poetry lacked emotion and that my interpretation of Shakespearean was invalid because of that said lack. I was sure she was out to ruin my chances of maintaining my stellar GPA, but I later saw that her critique on my work challenged my creativity. This, in turn, brought out a side of my writing I didn't even know I possessed. She later told me that she saw in me a version of herself back in high school. Talented, arrogant, and needed to be knocked down a few pegs in order to release her true potential as a successful writer. I'll never admit it, but I've grown so much because of her. Granted, she's no , but she's an extremely close second.

"As discussed earlier, we do have a new student joining us today. He's spent the last few years in South America doing charity work while also attending school. So, please be kind and give him a warm welcome." Mrs. Lancaster then walked back toward the door to open it for the student in question. "Come on in, dear."

Trying not to seem as curious as the rest of the class, I kept myself distracted during the introduction she gave. If I was honest with myself, I wanted nothing more than to look up from my desk to see the guy that everyone was raving about.

He's probably just some fancy-pancy foreigner with tan skin, and brown eyes, and some stupid accent that makes him sound like something out of a cheesy telenovela.

After much internal debate, I figured one small glance wouldn't kill me. Boy, was I wrong.

As soon as I picked my head up, the sight made my heart drop. It must've dropped straight into my lungs because I felt like I couldn't breathe. There was a nearly forgotten warm sensastion in the pit of my stomach. The warmth seemed to travel into my face. I felt uncomfotably feverish.

The first thing I noticed was yellow. Yellow tufts of hair sticking out from a familiarly gorgeous specimen of an oddly-shaped head. Parting the hair to look like two fields of yellow corn was that adorably small blue cap I remembered. _"This must be a dream."_ I thought to myself. _"It can't be-"_

"Arnold!"

Suddenly, I noticed the entire class turn to stare at me. I placed my fingertips lightly on my lips. Did I just say that out loud?

Looking back towards and the football-headed boy, I couldn't help but notice that he was grinning from ear to ear. I never knew I could miss someone's smile so much.

"I'm sorry, do you two know each other?" Mrs. Lancaster asked while looking between Arnold and me.

"Oh, yeah. We go way back." Arnold replied in his newly pubescent voice. The sound of it almost felt like pure silk was being draped across my body. It sent a comforting shiver down my spine. "Isn't that right, Helga?" Instant pins and needles.

I gulped to try and remove the obvious lump I felt in my throat.

"Well, then! What a nice coincidence. Arnold, why don't you take that empty seat on the left of Helga." Mrs. Lancaster suggested. Arnold nodded eagerly.

With the blush still evident in my cheeks, I couldn't bring myself to do anything but stare at Arnold wide-eyed while he sat down beside me. His gaze never left mine.

"Okay. Everyone please take out your copy of Othello and turn to page 26. We're picking up where we left off yesterday..." I could hear Mrs. Lancaster's voice fading in the background as I mindlessly grabbed for my worn out copy of Othello. Still never taking my eyes off of Arnold while doing so.

For some reason, my mind was having difficulty comprehending the sight in front of me. It wouldn't allow me to believe that he was really here. I was in a lucid dream-like state. Everything around me became hazy. The only object that was perfectly defined amongst the blur was him...Arnold. My beloved Arnold.

Before I could be completely swallowed by those familiar, and completely enticing green eyes, my pride took control of my reflexes and snapped my head to the book in my hands. I could hear him chuckle quietly. It was almost scary how aware I had became of his actions. Every move he made was so evident to me that it caused me to shift in response. I could still feel his gaze locked onto me. It was becoming almost painful.

"-ga...elga...HELGA!"

"Huh!?" The sudden exclamation of my name caused me to flinch. My eyes went to the front of the classroom where I noticed along Mrs. Lancaster with the rest of the class was focused on me.

"I asked if you would kindly let Arnold read along with you since he doesn't have his own copy yet." She repeated slightly annoyed. She could tell I obviously wasn't paying attention. "Arnold, feel free to move closer to Helga." _Oh god, no._

A couple of seconds later, I could hear the scratching sound of the desk scraping across the floor beside me. I noticed a blur of yellow creep closer to my side in my peripheral. My body was completely frozen. It wasn't until I felt the light clank of our desks being pushed together that caused me to jump. With my brain not cooperating with the rest of my body, I was still frozen in place with my eyes locked to the pages of my book.

I'm sure it was obvious that I wasn't actually paying attention to the book. My mind was such a mess that I didn't even notice the rest of the class turn the pages of their books. This caused Arnold to smirk, knowing at that moment how distracted I truly was.

 _"Snap out of it, Helga! What is the matter with you!? He's gonna think you've completely lost your mind. Don't give him the satisfaction of thinking he has anything to do with your behavior right now. Keep it together!"_

My thoughts distracted me even further. I didn't notice that Arnold had leaned even closer to me. As if he wasn't already close enough.

"Hey, Helga." I could feel his warm breath whisper into my ear with that velvety voice. I could feel my breath catch in my throat. "Mind moving closer so I can see?"

With all of my mental strength, I forced myself to push my hands over toward Arnold in reply to his request. Still refusing to look over to him, I kept my eyes locked to the front of the classroom. The sudden warmth I felt envelope one of my hands caused me to shriek. As Arnold attempted to grab the book from me, his hand grabbed my own. Physical contact from Arnold always caused my body to react strangely, but it had been so long that my heart wasn't prepared to handle it. At least not yet.

As quickly as I pulled my hand away, I felt my bottom coming in contact with a hard surface. It wasn't painful, but it definetly wasn't pleasant. Without noticing that I had closed my eyes after the impact, I was blinded from the light after opening them. Once my vision came into focus, I could see Arnold hovering over me with a worried look on his face.

I could hear the giggles from my classmates and the annoyed cough from Mrs. Lancaster, which caused my focus to go to the front of the classroom once again. Mrs. Lancaster's arms were crossed in front of her chest.

"Helga? Is everything alright?" She asked trying to sound concerned, but was clearly aggrivated that I was interrupting her lesson.

I looked around at my classmates and I finally realized that I had fallen out of my seat. All because of Arnold's touch. I am such a basket case!

I slowly stood up off of the ground and dusted my pants off. There wasn't much dirt to wipe off, but I felt it was the only reasonable thing to do after a fall like that.

"M-may I be excused?" I asked quietly. I couldn't bear to look at Arnold anymore. I had to get out of there ASAP.

Mrs. Lancaster sighed in defeat. "I suppose. But hurry back. This lesson will be in your AP exams-"

Without letting her finish her lecture, I was out the door.

"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"

I was forcefully splashing my face with water from the sink in front of me. After I left the classroom, I went into the closest restroom I could find. I was coherent enough to at least make sure the bathroom was unoccupied before I began my psychotic ranting.

"As if you didn't seem like a big enough nutjob in the beginning by yelling his name out loud like that. You had to go and fall out of your freaking chair just because he TOUCHED you. Smooth, Pataki. Real smooth. Jeez..." I slapped my palm against my forehead. I brought my eyes back up to stare at my reflection in the mirror. Arnold's return brought back several memories and emotions I was sure I had forgotten.

I noticed that while my physical appearance hadn't changed much, I could see significant change in my expressions. My eyes have aged me. I definitely wasn't the same girl from over 7 years ago. I still had my blonde hair, and my signature eyebrow that I kept simply because I didn't feel like dealing with the maintenance of waxing it. I decided to leave behind the messy pig-tails and transition to a high ponytail that cascaded past my shoulders. For sentimental reasons, the bow still stayed proudly perched on top of my head.

I spent what felt like hours studying my face as if it were the first time. After several deep breaths, I slapped my palms against my cheeks to give myself the little boost of energy I needed to continue my day. I still wasn't fully prepared to face Arnold again, but I knew running away from my problems wouldn't solve anything.

I sighed at my last thought. _"Since when did Arnold become the problem?"_

The sound of the bell to release 5th period classes forced me out of my deep thoughts.

"Crap! Lancaster is gonna kill me."

I took one final look at my reflection, ruffled my bangs a bit and straightened out my shirt. I lengthened my spine to create a proud posture, hoping that would give me the additional confidence I needed.

To avoid looking like a total spazz to the rest of the school, I made sure my stride out of the bathroom was cool, calm, and collected. Unfortunately, that plan only lasted a total of 2.5 seconds.

Once again, I made face-first contact with a hard object. It felt like I ran into a wall. _"Criminy! What is wrong with me today!?"_ I couldn't stand being so clumsy. That kind of stuff might be fine for someone like Eugene, but not me. Not Helga G. Pataki.

I found myself on the floor, yet again, before I heard a voice from above me. A voice that belonged to the one person I was not ready to face.

"Are you okay, Helga?"

I glanced up to where the voice was coming from, only to be met with Arnold's gaze looming over me. I could easily drown in those pools of green.

I shook my head roughly to bring myself back to reality. Once I stopped, I noticed Arnold had a hand out toward me. With only a brief hesitation, I grabbed his extended hand to help myself off the ground.

"I-I'm fine." I responded several seconds later. Internally, I was torn between wanting to leap into his arms and shower him with years worth of missed kisses, and wanting to go back to my childish ways and insult him to hide my true feelings. The ending result was something completely neutral. Monotone, short-worded responses.

"Good. I'm glad." he said almost in a whisper. After a moment of awkward silence, I realized that he was still holding on to my hand. "It's so good to see you again, Helga." his grip on my hand tightened with his words.

"Y-yeah. I didn't expect t-to see you here. I didn't know you were coming back." The more I spoke, the easier it was to control the annoying stutter I seemed to acquire ever since he returned.

"Yeah. My parents and I decided it was time to come back to Hillwood. They wanted me to spend my senior year here with all of my childhood friends. Plus..." Arnold paused and started to caress his thumb across the back of my hand. The gentle motion sent an electric sensation up my arm and directly into my chest. I was tempted to check if my hair was sticking up due to static. "I felt like I had some...unfinished business to attend to."

I cleared my throat as calmly as possible. I could feel the warmth of a blush attempt to invade my cheeks. But I fought desperately to prevent it.

"Yeah, well you haven't missed much, Football head." I could feel the edge return in my voice. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would revert to my old ways. Even if he did return my love all those years ago, that was in the past. Who knows what he feels now. For all I know he could have a girlfriend back in San Lorenzo and he's completely over me. There was no point in fighting my natural instincts. It was second nature to insult Arnold in order to hide my true desires. That's just the way it's supposed to be.

"Well...I've missed you." he replied to my insult. My eyes widened at his comment. He then took a step closer toward me. His face now only inches from my own. It felt as if he were stealing the air directly from my lungs with his proximity, because the simple task of breathing became increasingly difficult. "Does that count?"

The blush I was fighting so hard to prevent flooded into my cheeks as if the dam had burst. There was no way I could hide it now.

"Hmph!" Was all I could muster before turning my head to the side to avoid his stare. "Whatever floats your boat, hair boy."

Arnold chuckled at my stubborn response. The sound of his laugh sent my heart soaring. I knew there was no better sound in this entire world than that. There never will be in my opinion.

I could feel the warmth slowly fade away from my hand. I turned back to face Arnold and noticed that he had released his grip. I shivered at the cold feeling it surprisingly caused. As much as I would refuse to admit it, the absence of his touch made me feel sad, and somewhat lonely.

"What are you doing after school?"

"Huh?" My gaze traveled from my hand back up to his face.

"I would love to catch up. Reconnect. I feel like there's a lot we need to discuss. Would you like to hang out with me after school?" Arnold took a step back as if to give me enough space so I wouldn't feel pressured to respond.

Is he for real? Did he really just ask me to hang out? With him? There was no way this is real life. I must be dreaming.

My hand curled into a fist instinctively, which caused my nails to dig into my palm. The pinching sensation I felt was more than enough proof. I wasn't dreaming. Arnold was really here. And he was asking me to spend time with him. I knew I could die happy right then and there.

"I..." the words I wanted to say were trapped in my throat.

 _"Yes, yes, YES! Of course I want to spend time with you, you amazingly stupid, yet wonderful football headed love god! Nothing in this entire world would make me happier, my love!"_

"I...can't." I finally spoke out. "I have s-softball practice right after school."

I was mentally kicking myself at this point. I was telling the truth, but I desperately wished I wasn't in that moment.

"Oh. I see." Arnold's face fell. I could tell he was trying to hide his disappointment, but I could always read him like a book. He was so bad at hiding his feelings. The sad look on his face caused a pinching sensation in my chest. On one hand, I was feeling guilty that I had made him feel sad. But, on the other hand, I was secretly happy that he was affected so much by my rejection to his offer to hang out.

"But..." I spoke out a little louder. His eyes, which were focused on the ground, lifted to meet mine. "I-I'm free after five. Would it be okay if I meet you after?"

I knew I would be an idiot if I declined his offer. Even if we both agreed we needed to move on, I couldn't deny the fact that my love for him was still there. He was too much a part of my life to let go of that easily.

As quickly as his face fell in disappointment, it picked right back up into a wide grin.

"Of course!" He exclaimed. "You can come over to the boarding house for dinner. I'm sure my parents would love to see you again." He took a couple of steps towards me. "You remember how to get to the boarding house, right?"

"How could I forget?" My eyes widened at my automatic response. _"Did I really just say that? Way to go, Helga! That doesn't make you sound creepy or anything. Sheesh!"_

After my comment, I noticed Arnold giving me his infamous half-lidded gaze. The gaze that could always make my girlhood tremble.

"Great. I look forward to it." He reached over to grab my hand once more, and lifted it up to his face. His eyes closed and I could feel his soft lips lightly place themselves on the back of my hand. If he wasn't holding my hand, I probably would've fallen backwards from fainting. "I'll see you tonight, Helga."

He let go of my hand and turned his back to me. Within minutes, the football-headed boy was out of my sight.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. My mind and body went on autopilot. I somehow made it into the locker rooms to prepare for softball practice. The mindless chatter of the other girls was enough of a wake up call to put my thoughts back in order. I just needed to get through these next two hours without spacing out. I can't afford to screw up anything. The State Championships is coming up, and I needed to be 100% focused. After quickly changing into my practice clothes, I jogged out to the field to meet the rest of my team.

I never did see myself joining any sports teams in high school. But when I needed an excuse to stay away from home most days, it was convenient that I had a talent for softball. Because of that, joining the team was a snap. I'm sure playing baseball with Arnold and the gang as kids had a lot to do with my skills. I still didn't really care for the uniformity of an actual softball team, but I made do.

Five o'clock came in the blink of an eye. The nerves started to kick in. I had to head to Arnold's house and spend time with him...alone. I didn't know if my heart could handle this.

I took my usual shower in the locker room and put my school clothes back on. With it being so hot out these days, my usual outfit always consisted of knee-length shorts and a loose-fitting pink shirt. Simple, comfortable, and still somewhat feminine. I never used to care about my appearance, and I still don't. But, for some reason, I become very self-concious and spent way longer in front of the mirror than I ever have before. With a frustrated sigh, I stuck to my usual high pony-tail and gathered my belongings to head out.

The walk to the boarding house seemed unbearably long. I made it to the front stoop and stood there for a few seconds before finally building the courage to ring the doorbell. I was greeted by my beloved with a genuine smile.

"Helga! You made it."

"Well, doi! I said I was coming, didn't I?" I responded sarcastically. Arnold moved to the side to let me in. I placed my bags down in the corner by the door and slipped my shoes off.

"I know. I'm just glad your finally here. C'mon, let me reintroduce you to everyone. Dinner is almost ready." He placed his hand on the small of my back. It was so gentle of a touch I almost didn't realize he had done it. I gulped in an attempt to swallow my nervousness as he led me to the dining room.

As quickly as the day had gone by, the dinner with the boarders felt painfully slow. Not that I didn't enjoy seeing everyone and talking with Arnold's parents, but with Arnold staring at me with that same half-lidded gaze that I couldn't resist, I wanted nothing more than to be alone with him. I dreamed of this day for so long, and I wanted nothing to stand in my way.

After saying my goodbyes to the boarders, Arnold eagerly pulled me out of the dining room and up the stairs.

"Easy, football head! Where's the fire?" I asked sarcastically.

"Sorry, Helga. I'm just excited to talk to you after all these years." He said enthusiastically. He pulled me through the door of his bedroom and let go of my hand to close it behind us.

I looked around the room in awe. Nothing has changed since I was last here. Granted, this was the first time I'm actually here as an invited guest, and not as a stalker. I laughed internally at myself. Man, I really was a basket case back then.

"Have a seat." I turned around to look at Arnold who was gesturing for me to sit beside him on the bed. I slowly made my way over to him and sat about a foot away. I knew I had to control myself. As much as I dreamed about being in his arms, things were different now. I didn't know what Arnold wanted to discuss, and because of that, I didn't know where we stood in terms of our "relationship". Patience was key.

"So...what did you want to talk about, Arnold-o?" I asked casually. I looked over and noticed that he had taken a deep breath. After a slow, long exhale, he looked back at me. His eyes were filled with what almost seemed like determination.

"Everything." he simply said. There was a brief moment of silence before he spoke again. "I was thinking I could start this conversation by asking you how these last few years have been, and talk about what has been new with you. But, I am way too anxious to try and make small talk right now." he clenched his hands together and placed them in his lap. "I just want to be open and honest with you." I could feel my heart quicken at his words. I was a nervous wreck. I didn't know whether to be excited for what he was about to say or anxious. I was completely hung up on every word he spoke. He leaned in closer to me to close the gap between us. His shoulder was barely an inch away from mine. His eyes were still locked on mine before he spoke again. "I never stopped thinking about you, Helga. Not for one moment."

My entire body shook. I always would fantasize about Arnold saying something like that to me. But now that it was a reality, my brain wasn't sure how to process it. I wanted to run away from embarassement, but I was too shocked to move.

"I know we decided to stay friends. And, I'm sure you've probably moved on by now, but I just wanted you to know. I wanted you to hear this from me in person. Because if there is still a chance for us, I want to fight for it. I've never wanted anything more in my entire life." There was another brief pause before he closed the gap completely by grabbing one of my hands in both of his. "I love you, Helga. And, I want to be with you. For real this time."

I knew there was an evident tint of red in my cheeks, but I couldn't care less at that moment. There were so many thoughts circulating through my mind that it wouldn't let my mouth speak before I could properly sort through them. The 10-year-old me would be swooning right about now. She would be jumping for joy and falling into his embrace while giving him the most passionate kiss I could give him.

But, the reality of it was not that simple. Things were different. As much as I would like for things to go back to they way there were all those years ago, it wasn't as easy as that. I have my own life now. I have other things that are on the top of my priority list. I can't just change my whole life in an instant. Even if I did want to be with him, I was scared that it wouldn't work. What if his goals and dreams didn't correlate with mine? I would never forgive myself if he had to give anything up for my sake, and I'm sure he would feel the same if that happened to me.

I removed my hand from Arnold's, and stood up from the bed. This conversation became a lot more difficult than previously anticipated.

"It's been 7 years, Arnold." I finally spoke. I couldn't bring myself to face him, so I kept my back turned toward hin. "How do you know you still want to be with me? I'm not the same person I was all those years ago."

I'm certain this was not the response he was expecting from me. Heck, I wasn't even expecting it from myself. But if he was being as open and honest as he says, the least I could do was return the favor and tell him how I truly felt.

"I know that." he said. I could hear the bed shift as he stood up to walk towards me. My body jumped as he wrapped his arms around my waist. His chest, which felt surprisingly well-defined, was pressed against my back, and his grip tightened around me. "But, I'm willing to give us a chance. We were forced apart by things that were beyond our control. I want us to try again. I can't imagine my life without you, Helga."

I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. I knew I couldn't take it much longer so I turned around to face him. He kept his arms around my waist and I placed my hands on his chest while looking into his eyes.

There were so many things I still wanted to say, but my mind would not settle long enough to get out a coherent sentence. Before I realized what I was doing, I felt a spark of electricity radiate on my lips. I could hear Arnold make a surprised gasp as I crashed my lips onto his. After a few seconds, Arnold began reciprocating my advance. One of his hands traveled up my spine and onto the back of my neck while the other stayed around my waist, pulling me in closer to him.

I wasn't sure what came over me, and why I had even kissed him. Call it a reflex, call it autopilot, call it whatever the heck you want! I didn't regret it. Not one bit.

We parted briefly to catch our breath, which was ragged at this point. I could tell there was still so much we both wanted to say, but didn't know how to say it. And this was the only way we knew how to get our feelings across. It wasn't exactly the most responsible way to do it, but it got the job done.

I could feel him take some steps back as he pulled me along with him. He crashed his lips against mine once more while doing so. Suddenly he fell backwards, pulling me forward on top of him. I found myself straddling him on the bed while still engaged in our kiss.

"W-we...we shouldn't be doing this..." I said in a muffled voice against his lips. He could tell there wasn't much determination in my statement. In response, he deepend our kiss.

At that moment, I felt all of my senses let go. I was putty in his hands. I knew we could never go back to the way things were after this, but something inside me wouldn't allow me to care. I was in love with Arnold. Always have been, and always will be. Who was I to fight this?

We let the passion take over that night. It was suprising that neither of us felt nervous,especially it being our first time. After our bodies relaxed in the afterglow of our engagment, we blissfully fell into a deep sleep with not a care in the world. Nothing could ruin this feeling.

Up until then, at least.

 **Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'll be sure to upload more ASAP. Again, please feel free to leave a review. I am not a professional writer by any means, and I do it simply for fun. So please be kind :)**


	3. The Betrayal

**Hello! Thanks again for tuning in. I hope you enjoy the new chapter of** ** _This Unexpected Life._**

 **This chapter is still being told during the flashback that was mentioned in the prologue. Hopefully it'll answer some of your questions.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

 **All of the characters belong to the amazing creator, Craig Bartlett.**

Chapter 2: The Betrayal

 _This has to be what true happiness feels like._

My mind began to stir as I came out of a deep sleep. I was certain I had fallen asleep with the biggest smile on my face. Tonight couldn't have been more perfect. This was something I thought would only happen in my wildest dreams.

I had made love with Arnold.

I brought my arms out from under the duvet to stretch them above my head. I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted with the familiar night sky through Arnold's skylight. The moon looked so beautiful. I turned my head to the right so I could sneak a peek at another beautiful sight.

I could feel my smile fade when I noticed the bed was empty. I sat up making sure to keep the blanket against my chest. I looked all around the room in hopes to find my beloved football-head. He was nowhere in sight.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as a cold breeze came through the bedroom. I glanced up once again and noticed that one of the windows to the skylight was cracked open. It had to be Arnold.

What is he doing up on the roof so late at night?

I peaked under the duvet and noticed I was still naked. I obviously couldn't go up to the roof like this. I glanced over to the couch across the room and saw a pair of Arnold's gym shorts and a plaid shirt. As weird as I originally felt taking them to put them on, I was internally swooning. This was always another fantasy of mine.

The shorts had to be tightened around my waist to keep from falling off, and the plaid shirt, once buttoned up, fell just above my knees. I lightly caressed my arms and inhaled deeply. His scent, the scent I'd often describe as one I'd want to bathe in, was deeply embedded into these clothes. I was in heaven.

After I finished dressing, I walked back over to the bed and ascended up the ladder toward the open panel.

In my mind, I had already told myself what to expect. I would poke my head out, see my beloved Arnold leaning against the enclosure of the roof, staring out into the night sky. He would probably be daydreaming so he won't expect to see me there. And if I were to be honest with myself, one could only hope he was shirtless.

I giggled to myself at the naughty thought that crossed my mind. Helga Pataki was not one who giggled at the thought of a shirtless guy. But it was easy to lose your senses when you're in love.

As I placed my foot on that final step and pushed the panel completely open, my heart seized. Never in a million years did I expect to see what was in front of me right then. I was torn between wanting to turn around, grab my things and never look back, and wanting to force my way through the skylight and pound the football head senseless. In the end, all I could do was sit there and stare as my heart ached with every forced beat it took.

I couldn't take my eyes away. There he was, with her, in what could only be seen in my eyes as a passionate kiss between two long-time lovers reunited. It made me physically sick.

After what felt like an eternity of watching them (which in reality had only been about 3 seconds), I couldn't stand it any longer. I turned back around to jump down to Arnold's bed. The panel must have slipped out of it's hold because it slammed shut behind me. I knew I wouldn't have the mental stamina to put my clothes back on first. I had to get out now.

My mind was in such a haze that I forgot to even grab my clothes before walking out of Arnold's room. I could hear Arnold's muffled voice calling my name from the roof, but I refused to turn and look at him. I couldn't.

I knew it was early in the morning, but with as much urgency as I felt to leave that boarding house, I didn't think twice about my heavy footsteps running down the halls. I slipped my shoes on, which were left at the door, grabbed my school bag and ran down the steps of the stoop.

"Helga! Wait! Please let me explain!" I could hear Arnold's voice more clearly this time. I couldn't tell if it was still coming from the roof or if he had managed to follow me through the front door, but I still couldn't bring myself to turn around and find out. Keeping my head low, I ran down Vine street as fast as my legs could take me. I couldn't bear to see his face. The face of the one I thought would never hurt me, but now I could only look at as the face of betrayal.

Arnold's POV

 _I can't remember a time ever feeling happier than I do right now._

As I lay on my side gazing at a sleeping Helga, I couldn't wipe this genuine smile off of my face, even if I wanted to. Her mouth was slightly parted as she slept, and a lock of her hair was dangling in front of her face. Every time she exhaled, the lock of hair flew up and lightly fell back onto her face.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. It was too cute for words. I very carefully pinched the lock of hair between my thumb and index finger and placed it gently behind her ear.

For the 7 years we were apart, I had always dreamed of waking up next to her like this. To admire her sleeping face after a night of passion. I used to fantasize what our first time would be like, and the reality of it was even more magical than I could ever imagine.

I slowly placed the back of my hand against her cheek. Her pale, soft skin was cold against my warm hand. In an attempt to keep her warm, I pulled the shared blanket over her bare shoulder. I then ran my hand almost teasingly along her now covered arm. I sighed in content. I could spend the rest of my life this way.

Much to my surprise, I could hear some light shuffling coming from above me. It almost sounded like there was someone on the roof. Who could possibly be up there? And at this hour?

Trying my best not to wake Helga, I slipped carefully out from under the duvet and made my way up toward the skylight. I wasn't sure what I'd find up there, but my first thought was to protect Helga. And I would.

I poked my head through the panel of my skylight, being careful not to make too much noise incase there was someone up here. When there wasn't a person in sight, I pulled myself all the way through and made sure to keep the panel cracked slightly to avoid it slamming shut and waking up Helga.

After taking a few glances to my left and right, I noticed a blur of red catch my eye. My eyes widened in shock.

"Lila? Is that you?" I called out to the shadowed figure.

"Arnold? You really are here!" Before I could comprehend what had just happened, I was trapped within an embrace. The overly sweet scent of perfume hit my nostrils and I grabbed at her shoulders to pull her away.

"Lila? What are you doing here?" I was thouroughly confused at this point. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was dreaming.

"I heard that you returned from San Lorenzo, and I just had to see for myself." Lila exclaimed in her usual perky voice. She definitely hadn't changed much since I saw her last. Her hair was slightly longer, but still pulled tight in those two braids with the ribbons at the ends. She still wore the same green plaid dress, only since she had developed over the years, it fit her a lot more snug. Especially against her newly formed chest.

"That doesn't explain why you're on my roof in the middle of the night." I said slightly annoyed. I looked Lila up and down, examining all of the minor changes that have occured during my absence. It made me really think back and wonder what I ever saw in her to have such strong romantic feelings for her, and for so long at that.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you, Arnold. I'm ever so sorry for trespassing." She pouted. "I just had to see you."

I rolled my eyes. "I would've seen you at school. C'mon, do you want me to walk you down the fire escape?" I would normally be a gentleman and offer to walk her home, especially this late at night. But not only was I not properly dressed to do so, but there was no way I was leaving Helga here alone.

"Wait! Can't we talk for a bit? It's just been oh-too long since we've seen each other. I feel like there is...unfinished business between us." Her eyes fell into a half-lidded gaze as she took a step toward me.

I attempted to talk a step back, but found myself somehow pushed against the enclosure of the roof. I was trapped. If this were 8 years ago, my 9 year-old self would probably be jumping for joy right now. But things have changed. I've moved on. I was certain Lila had too considering she insisted she never felt anything for me. Why do I suddenly feel like she's making a move on me?

"Lila, can't we talk about this another day? It's 2am, and we really should be-" I was cut off mid-sentence by an unexpected and forecful attack on my lips. Lila had managed to wrap her arms around my neck and pull me into a deep enough kiss that it was hard to pull away in one motion. I placed my hands on her arms to pull her away, but she had me pinned against the wall with all of her strength. I didn't want to risk hurting her by pushing her away, but the smell of her overly fruity perfume was starting to become nauseating. I shut my eyes tightly in hopes of blocking out the sensation. I instantly felt sick. I had no romantic feelings towards Lila anymore, and I want to make that obviously clear. But, I also didn't want to hurt her feelings in the process. I was torn.

The slamming of the window panel caused my eyes to fly open. I pushed Lila away to look towards the source of the noise and noticed a flash of blonde running away from the window. _Oh, no!_

"HELGA!" I grabbed Lila by the arms to move her out of my way so I could catch up with Helga. I looked down into my bedroom and noticed Helga bolting through the bedroom door.

I felt so guilty that my heart was practically in my throat. I was having trouble breathing from the pseudo blockage. I turned back around to peak over the front of the boarding house in hopes of catching Helga in time, but was stopped by a pair of tiny hands on my chest.

"Leave her be, Arnold. I'm certain she needs some time to process this." Lila spoke with a false sugar-coated tone in her voice. If my grandfather didn't raise me to be a gentlman, I'm sure I would've gone off on Lila. Instead I gently moved her aside once again and peeked over to catch a glance at the front door. I made it just in time to find Helga charging down the sidewalk.

"Helga! Wait! Please let me explain" I yelled from the rooftop, in hopes that she would stop running. With no success, I sighed deeply watching her sillouette fade into the night. I cannot believe how quickly everything turned to ruin. A perfect night turned into a night of disaster.

"Arnold, I'm ever so certain she just needs some time alone." I felt Lila's frail arms wrap around my hips. I shivered at her touch, and not in a good way. I could feel my blood boil in anger as I grabbed Lila's hands and pulled her off of me. I turned to face her while gripping on to her wrists.

"Lila, it's time for you to leave." I could hear the tension seething from my voice, and I'm sure she could hear it too, because her eyes widened in shock.

"But, Arnold-"

"Please..." I turned away from her in hopes to hide the pain behind my pleading voice. "Just go." I made my way back toward the skylight and down the ladder onto my bed. I had never felt so guilty and depressed in my entire life. I didn't even care if Lila was still on the roof or not.

How could everything go so wrong so fast? I possibly lost the best thing in my life all because of a misunderstanding. All I kept thinking was how I could've done something different. I should've tried harder to push her away. I shouldn't have even given her the chance to kiss me. I should've been more confident when asking her to leave. Maybe none of this would've ever happened.

I looked to the ground and noticed a bright pink ribbon sprawled onto the floor. A pink ribbon that could only belong to Helga. I leaned down to pick it up and held it in both of my hands. As I sat down on the bed, I brought the ribbon up to my nose and inhaled deeply. The faint scent of vanilla filled my nostrils, and I could feel the tears stream down my cheeks.

I can't believe I might lose her.

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, feel free to review! All constructive criticism is welcome! Please keep in mind I am by no means a professional writer. I simply write for fun.**


	4. The Discovery

**Hello! Welcome back, once again! So glad I was able to update today. Yesterday, there was a terrible blizzard (I live in Minnesota), and I was snowed in, so I had to stay home from work.**

 **I want to thank you all again for your reviews. It makes me so happy to see that you guys enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it.**

 **So, without further ado, enjoy the next chapter of** ** _This Unexpected Life_**

 **All of the characters belong to their rightful creator, Craig Bartlett.**

Chapter 3: The Discovery

Every single day after that incident, for the last 3 to 4 weeks, Arnold seemed desperate to talk to me. For the first week, I was able to completely shut him out and pretend he didn't exist. By the second week, however, I was beginning to respond to his pleas, but never let him have the chance to explain what happened that night. My responses were only to cut him off from speaking. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand hearing the sound of his pathetic voice.

If I know Arnold, I'm sure he feels guilty about the fact that he did something so taboo and personal with me while he was still infatuated with Ms. Perfect. He was probably trying to apologize for "leading me on" and "hurting my feelings". I couldn't handle a sappy apology. Not from him.

By the 3rd week, his attempts at trying to talk to me weakened. I'm sure he started to realize I wanted no part of it. Around that time, Arnold and Lila became more public. They were always seen together in the hallways, in the cafeteria, and even around town after school. Every time I saw them, I could feel the familiar stinging sensation in my chest, but I'd never let my face show it. Whenever I was unfortunate enough to pass by them in the halls, I made sure to avoid eye contact. As they brushed past me, I could feel Arnold's gaze burning into my skin. I was tempted to turn to him and call him out to the public with an insult, but I didn't feel I was strong enough to look directly at him. Not when he was with her.

And so, that fateful, and somewhat miserable reunion brings us to present day, where everyday I would listen to the useless gossip among my childhood friends about "how adorable Arnold and Lila were together" while trying my hardest not to vomit, which became increasingly difficult each day.

Normally, it was very easy to control my annoying need to upchuck during the school day. But today, my strength had been put to the test. After the encounter with Arnold on the bus, my nausea never went away. I somehow managed to make it through most of my day. But, once I walked through the doors of Lancaster's class, I had an immediate sense of dread. Somehow, I already knew this was going to be my breaking point.

My sanctuary that was AP Literature soon became my own personal hell after that horrendous night. Arnold was still assigned to the desk next to me, and took every opportunity he could to talk to me. I was impressed with my will to ignore him, even when he was so close. Thankfully, his interactions with me have lessened over time.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Mrs. Lancaster's voice chimed in. "Now I know we've all been feeling a lot of stress about these exams coming up, and I want to commend you all for staying so focused these last few weeks." I internally groaned at her statement. I was anything but focused, and I'm sure she knew it. My writing and comprehension have suffered, and it royally ticked me off. I was mainly angry with myself for letting a stupid boy affect my schooling. But, with this week being one of the defining moments of my future, I refused to let this continue. I was determined to pass these exams, and nothing or no one was going to get in my way.

"So, since you all have been working so hard," Mrs. Lancaster continued. "I've decided to give you the entire class time for independent study. You can partner up, or remain by yourself, whatever makes you feel most comfortable. But please try to be as minimally disruptive as possible. Don't make me regret my decision to do this."

Once Lancaster had mentioned the words "partner up", I could see Arnold turn his wide head towards me out of the corner of my eye. Great...he's totally gonna try to take advantage of this.

The class started shifting around, moving their desks, opening their bags, and finally settled down into what would be their new spots for the next hour or so. I noticed, however, that Arnold hadn't moved an inch. He just sat there, staring at me, probably hoping I would glance over at him. Well, fat chance that was going to happen.

After what felt like an eternity, I flinched slightly at Arnold's sudden change in position. I blinked once, and then opened my eyes to find Arnold with both of his hands on my desk in front of me, towering over me with an angry look on his face. His green eyes almost looked like there were on fire.

"Helga, we HAVE to talk about this." Arnold spoke in just above a whisper. I looked around him to see if he had grabbed anyone's attention, but the class was too involved in their own mindless chatter to even notice. I sighed in defeat. I knew he wasn't going to let me ignore him, not this time.

"There's nothing to talk about, football head." I replied calmly while turning my attention back to my text book. Suddenly his hand flattened on the open pages and he shifted the textbook to the side. This brought my attention back onto him.

"Yes there is." he insisted. "You haven't given me a chance to explain, and I'm not letting you walk away from me again. You're GOING to listen to me."

I scowled deeply at his command. "Now wait just a darn minute!" I stood up from my desk dramatically. After I realized what I was doing, I looked around again to make sure we didn't have anyone's attention, which we didn't. "I don't take orders from anyone, especially not a dopey idiot like you, Arnold-o." I kept my voice quiet, but full of determination. I was not going to let him walk all over me. Pity party time was over. Time to show him who still reigns supreme in this town.

"Maybe I wouldn't have to order you around if you would just listen to me for once in your life." he leaned in closer to me. I could smell his shampoo lingering in front of my nose. In the past, I had always adored Arnold's scent. And truthfully, I still do. But for some reason, when that smell hit my nostrils, I became overwhelmed. The smell was way too strong. _What the heck did he do, pour the whole bottle on his head? Criminy!_

I put my now clammy hand over my mouth. The stench was giving me that familiar sensation in the pit of my stomach, and not the good sensation.

"Arnold..." I spoke behind my hand. My voice was muffled and he didn't seem to hear me.

"I've known you my whole life, Helga. And I can't believe that after all this time you don't trust me enough to let me explain to you that I did not betray you..." Arnold continued with his heated rant. I wanted to respond to his arguments, but I was way too focused on the feeling that was making its way up my gastrointestinal tract.

"Arnold..." I spoke again.

"Sure we haven't always been the best of friends growing up, but what we did that night was special, and I wouldn't do that with just anyone..." Arnold was way too deep into this conversations to hear my plea.

I shut my eyes tightly. The sensation was traveling fast. I could feel it in my throat. I needed to find a trash can, NOW.

"What can I do to prove to you that I'm being sincere?" He asked leaning in even closer.

"MOVE!" I yelled in my muffled voice. I forcefully pushed past Arnold and the row of desks. I had tunnel vision, and could only see the trash can at the front of the class. I really, really, REALLY didn't want to do this, especially not in front of my entire class, but my body was giving me no other alternative. It wasn't pretty.

It must've been building up for quite some time, because the force from the purge was so powerful, that I blacked out. I don't remember much of what happened after that, but I do remember at one point while regaining consciousness noticing that I was being carried, and my head was against a strong, broad, male chest. I remember how warm it felt, and I was craving warmth that that moment. I nestled my body deeper into the male's embrace. Suddenly, the same nauseating scent filled my nose yet again. But this time it was almost comforting. I realized then that I was being carried by Arnold, and as mortified as I was, I didn't have the strength to pull away. And honestly, I didn't want to.

 _Jeez! I feel like I got hit by a truck!_

I opened my eyes slightly and had to keep them squinted to avoid staring into the bright florescent lights above me. Once my eyes adjusted I pushed myself up slowly. I looked around in curiosity to find myself in a bed surrounded by a white curtain. _Where the heck am I?_

After several minutes of glancing around, I finally came to the realization that I was in the school nurse's office. I exhaled deeply, not realizing I was even holding my breath. My head was continuously throbbing, and I instinctively placed my hands on my temples in hopes of relieving the pain.

I tried to think back to what brought me here. I remember having an argument with Arnold, and then running to the trash can to throw up. After that, I don't remember much. I had a dream that Arnold was carrying me in his arms, but that's about all I could recall.

My cheeks became warm as I recalled the embarrassing incident of vomiting in front of the entire class...in front of Arnold. Criminy! Why can't I just go back to normal!?

I lifted my head out of my hands to take in the view around me once again. For some reason, something bright pink laying against the white bed sheets caught my attention. I reached my hand out to it and gently gripped it with my thumb and index finger.

It was my bow.

I have had trouble finding it for the past month, and it was driving me crazy. I was forced to go to school without it, and I just felt odd. My bow had become a part of me, so not wearing it made me feel incomplete. The last time I remember wearing my bow was at Arnold's-

Suddenly, my eyes widened at the epiphany. I left my bow at Arnold's that night. He must have brought it here.

I could feel my eyes water as I gripped tightly onto the bright pink ribbon. My vision was becoming blurred because of the tears that threatened to fall. Instead of tears of sadness, these felt more like tears of anger. I was angry because I couldn't look at my bow the same way anymore. This bow once represented a memory of happiness and love. The first time I met Arnold. Now, this bow only reminds me of the night my heart shattered beyond repair. Because of Arnold.

As tempted as I was to get up and toss it into the trash can across the room, I didn't have the courage to do so. As painful as it was, I couldn't get rid of it. I noticed my school bag on the floor beside me, and I leaned over to put the bow inside the front pocket. I let out an exhausted sigh. _I must love to torture myself._

"Good Afternoon, Ms. Pataki." I heard a light and airy voice exclaim from behind the curtain. With a loud swish, the curtain flew open to reveal the school nurse. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, fine." I placed one of my hands back on the side of my head. "A bit of a headache, but that's old news." I responded sarcastically.

"Well that's good to hear. When your football-headed friend brought you in here unconscious, I was very worried. But I'm glad you're awake and feeling better." She replied with a smile.

My eyes widened at her response. Football-headed friend? Arnold? Arnold brought me here? I started to think back to the dream I had of Arnold carrying me in his arms and I could feel my cheeks redden once again. Guess it wasn't a dream after all.

"I-I see. Well, now that I'm feeling better I'll just be on my way." I removed the sheets off of my legs and turned to stand up.

"Not so fast, young lady!" she jumped in front of me. "That was quite an episode you had, and I have to ask you some routine questions to make sure you're in good enough health to leave."

I groaned and sat back onto the bed, crossing my legs in the process. "Fine then. Fire away."

She fixed the glasses on her face, and grabbed for the clipboard on the file cabinet next to her.

"On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your current pain?" she asked with a smile.

"Physically or emotionally?" I answered with seething sarcasm.

She ignored me and moved onto the next question. "Do you have any allergies to food or medications?"

"Well, if you asked my parents they'll say no. But I will say strawberries. So you can believe whichever one you want." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I was getting more irritable by the second.

She began writing on her clipboard, and then looked up once again.

"When was the first day of your last period?"

I had to think about that for a second. I knew I was due to get it soon, but I couldn't remember when I had it last. I'd been a little preoccupied these last few weeks.

"Let's see, I know I had it maybe about a week and a half or two weeks prior to the 23rd of last month..." I began to recall out loud. I used the day Arnold returned as my time point. It was disgusting how I could remember that over everything else.

The nurse began to write again on her clipboard. She then hummed thoughtfully.

"Would you say your periods are irregular?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow at her question.

"Definitely not. They're usually always spot on. Why?" I questioned. Her face began to fall into a look of worry and I became increasingly curious. What is she trying to get at?

"Well, Helga..." she began. "Your period seems to be a little late."

"Excuse me?" I retorted. My period has never been late before. Early maybe, but never late.

"A normal cycle is every 28 days, and currently, based on the rough estimate of your last period, you're somewhere on day 35 to 40. If I have done my math correctly that is." she chuckled.

"Huh..." I tried to wrap my head around this new information. This was definitely not something I've been used to. I wasn't the type to obsessively track my periods, but I got them every single month and they were always the same. Why was this month so different?

Doi! Of course this month has been different. Arnold came and screwed everything up.

"Are you sexually active?"

My head snapped up at the question. "Am I what!?"

"Have you been sexually active, Helga?" the nurse asked again without even blinking. I was mortified. I had never cared for that term. It just sounded so technical, and very personal.

"Are you crazy!?" I blurted out defensively. "Who the heck would be stupid enough to have sex at our age!?" I could feel how hot my cheeks were becoming. I only hoped they wouldn't call out my bluff.

"I see." she responded, unfazed by my outburst. "Well, you must be under a lot of stress then with AP classes and all. I'm sure you'll regulate again when it's all over with."

"Stress. Yeah. I'm sure that's all it is." I chuckled nervously. "So am I free to go now?"

"I don't see why not. But if you're still feeling sick, make sure you go to the doctor." she replied walking back to her desk. I took her approval and ran with it...literally.

 _"Your period seems to be a little late. Have you been sexually active, Helga?"_

I couldn't get those words out of my mind. It made my head throb once again. Once I rushed out of the nurse's office, I slowly made my way over to my locker. School had just been released for the day, and I had to grab my AP textbooks before heading home so I can study. Tomorrow was the AP Literature exam, and I hadn't studied all week. How could I when I couldn't even stay focused long enough to read through a chapter?

"Helga!" I felt a pair of short arms wrap around my torso. I flinched at the sudden contact, but I instantly recognized the voice. "I was so worried! Are you okay?"

I turned around to face Phoebe, and tried my best to force a smile. "I'm alright, Phoebe. I promise."

"Arnold told me what happened. Your vomiting sounds like it's getting worse. I really think you should go to the doctor." she insisted. All I could do was shake my head in response.

"I can't go now. I have way to much stuff to do. I have AP exams, and then this weekend is the softball State Championships. I can't just take a medical leave. Not now." I knew Phoebe was not happy with my excuses, but she knew better than to try and argue with me. Once I had my mind set on something, it would be a cold day in hell before I would be convinced to do anything otherwise.

"Okay, Helga. But after this weekend, you're going to the doctor. If not, I'll take you myself. Agreed?" she said with an attempt at a threatening tone. I could only smirk in response.

"Sure thing, Pheebs."

I took my time opening my locker as Phoebe continued to stand beside me staring up at me with worried eyes. Once my locker opened, I couldn't help but get lost in thought once again.

"Hey, Phoebe?" I spoke up. "What could cause someone to miss a period?"

"Miss a period?" she asked with a questioning look. I nodded.

"Well, medically speaking, there are quite a few factors that could cause amenorrhea, or a missing menstrual cycle. It could be from poor diet and lack of exercise, hysterectomy, or certain types of ovarian, uterine and cervical conditions. But I'd say the most common reason for a missed period would be due to pregnancy."

I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I was afraid she would say that.

I stayed quiet after Phoebe's explanation, which caused her to speak up again.

"Why do you ask, Helga?"

I could feel my hand ball into a fist. I couldn't bring myself to speak up.

"Have you...missed your period?" She asked.

I turned to look into her eyes, and something must've clicked with her because she looked at me almost as if in absolute horror. After staring at each other for a few seconds, I turned my attention back to my locker and pulled my needed textbooks out before slamming the door shut. I could feel Phoebe's small hand grab onto my arm as I was suddenly being pulled down the hallway out through the entrance doors of the school.

"What are you doing?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"We're going to the pharmacy." she said flatly.

"For what?" I snapped. This caused Phoebe to stop in her tracks her her hand still around my wrist.

"Helga..." she said as she turned around to face me. "I'm not going to ask the question, because it is your business, and you can tell me when you feel comfortable enough to do so. But, your symptoms lately are starting to sound a lot like..." she hesitated for a moment and looked away. "Like early pregnancy symptoms."

"That's ridiculous!" I yelled pulling my wrist out of Phoebe's grasp. "There's no way I'm-"

"Helga," Phoebe cut off my rant. "For the last week or so you've been extremely tired, and nauseous, and now you're telling me you haven't gotten your period."

It took a minute to process her words. She was right, my symptoms did sound odd. But there's no way I could be...could I?

Phoebe sighed and stepped towards me to get my attention. "All I'm saying is that it's better to be sure. We're going to go to the pharmacy and get a pregnancy test. At least that way you'll know for certain."

I didn't even know what to say. I had no reason to argue her logic. At this point, what other option did I have? I couldn't just keep ignoring all of these things that have been happening to me. Truthfully, I was terrified.

She grabbed onto my hand again and smiled. "C'mon, I'll be with you the whole time."

I couldn't help but smile at my best friend. I loved always having her support through troubling times. She's showing me the same comforting smile she did the night I left Arnold's house.

I'll spare you the embarrassing details of buying a pregnancy test at the pharmacy. Staring at the wall of at least 30 different brands and trying to decide which one to get while thinking about why there needed to be so many different ones in the first place. I went with a simple generic one that looked exactly the same as the others. I figured it would still do the job and save me some money. No need to spend $20 on something that will possibly tell me that my life is over, right?

Phoebe and I made it all the way back to my house, which was thankfully empty. Bob was out working, and Miriam was probably at her weekly AA meeting. That meant I had at least an hour to myself.

"I'll be right outside the door if you need me." Phoebe said reassuringly.

"Phoebe I doubt I'll need your help. I'm just peeing on a stick. How hard could that be?" I replied sarcastically.

"I meant if you need me for emotional support, Helga." she responded with a dramatic eye-roll.

I walked slowly into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I looked down at my hands to see the disturbing box of pregnancy tests. I couldn't believe I was actually going through with this. I may have acted like it was no big deal, but inside I was shaking. This is not at all the situation I wanted to be in before taking one of these tests. I was planning on having a career, a loving husband, and a home of my own before possibly bringing a baby into this world.

I shuddered at the word. _Baby._

I shook my head violently at the thought. "There's no way I'm pregnant." I told myself with as much reassurance as I could. Granted, I don't remember much about that night with Arnold, but we used a condom...right?

Trying to think about it, I couldn't remember at all if a condom had been used or not. Honestly, I was so mortified from that night that I had tried my best to block everything out. It hurt less that way.

I ripped the box open with all my strength and took out that stick of impending doom.

"I'm not pregnant. I'm not pregnant. I'm not pregnant." I repeated my mantra during the entire process.

After the deed was done, I placed the test on the bathroom counter. I picked up the box and read the directions.

"Wait 3 to 5 minutes for result. Single blue line equals not pregnant. Blue Plus sign equals pregnant." Simple enough. I sat on the edge of the bathtub with my arms resting on my knees. As much as I told myself that there was no way I was pregnant, there was a tiny little voice in the back of my mind that I couldn't quite ignore. I tried my best not to let it fester. All I could do was sit there...and wait.

 _Phoebe POV_

"I meant if you need me for emotional support, Helga." I rolled my eyes at my best friend. At least she still has her sense of humor through all this.

As she walked inside the bathroom and closed the door, I placed my back against the wall and slid down to the floor. I exhaled deeply in relief. I've been doing my best to keep a brave face, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Helga had been doing so well before all of this. Before Arnold's return. I just felt so sorry for her. I knew I could never tell her that, otherwise she'd be furious. She hates when people show pity towards her. It makes her feel like they look down on her, as if she were weak.

We never talk about it, but I'm sure I'm the only one who has seen Helga at her most vulnerable. I felt honored to be that person, but at the same time I wish there was more I could do for her during those times. It rarely ever happens, so I never know when to expect it or what to do. Thinking back to when it happened about a month ago, I was taken by surprise.

It was a quiet, kind of overcast type of night. I was still up studying for AP exams. Pulling all-nighters was something I have been used to since the 8th grade. So, when I heard the knock on my front door, I was nothing less than curious. It was 3 am, who could possibly be knocking on my door at this hour?

As I opened the door, I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't imagining things. In front of me stood Helga, only a much more defeated-looking Helga. She was wearing a over-sized plaid shirt and gym shorts. Her hair looked disheveled and her eyes were red and puffy.

"Helga?" I exclaimed. "What happened? Is everything alright?" She looked like she had just been through some sort of traumatic experience. I almost didn't recognize her.

Suddenly tears began streaming down her face as she looked into my eyes. My heart began to break. I've seen Helga cry once before, but it was nothing like this. This was the face of pure sadness. Absolute defeat. She launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around my neck in a tight embrace. I was almost knocked off my feet due to the unexpected contact. I placed my hands gently on her back to steady ourselves, and I could feel her shaking under my touch.

"Oh, Helga." I hugged her tightly. I didn't know what else to say. I had no idea what had happened, and I didn't dare ask her again. Whatever it was, it was something that could be discussed later, if she ever wanted to talk about it. I pulled her away and grabbed her hand to lead her inside. That night I made her some tea, wrapped her in one of my fleece blankets, and let her fall asleep in my bed. It didn't take long for her to fall into a deep slumber. She must've been exhausted from whatever she had just been through.

I went back to my studies, but turned to glance at Helga every now and then. My heart ached at the thought of not being able to do more for her. I'm her best friend, and I felt useless. Never had I seen Helga so broken, and I hoped I never would again.

After that incident, we never spoke about it. I remained patient in hopes that she would one day open up to me and tell me what exactly happened that night. But I never pushed it. Helga had her own way of handling things, and I knew as her friend, all I could do was be there for her and be ready if she ever did want to talk about it. It was the least I could do.

The sound of the bathroom door opening roped me back into reality. I jumped off the floor in anticipation.

When I saw Helga's face, it was unreadable. I couldn't at all tell what she was thinking. Which was pretty unusual. For the years that I have known her, I always knew what she was thinking. While it might have been a mystery to everyone else because she could put up a good front, she could never fool me. So I felt incredibly frustrated at the fact that she was not as easy to interpret this time around.

"Well?" I pushed. "What's the verdict?"

Helga remained silent. Still unreadable. A few minutes went by, and there was dead silence between us. Her eyes were stone-cold. Almost as if her entire nervous system had shut down.

"Helga?" I finally spoke. The silence was deafening. She looked into my eyes and before I could comprehend what was happening she began to fall forward.

"HELGA!" I yelled as I placed my arms under hers in an attempt to catch her before she hit the ground. I ended up on the ground below her, with her head resting the crook of my neck. She was passed out. I spread my legs out to lay her down into one of my arms to cradle her. I placed my hand on her forehead and noticed she was slightly warm. She was out cold, but her chest was still rising and falling from her even-paced breathing.

"Helga, can you hear me?" I asked her trying not to yell too loud.

In my desperate attempt to make her conscious once again, I failed to notice the used pregnancy test gripped in Helga's left hand, and the deep blue plus sign that it bore.

 **BUM BUM BUUUUUUUUM! Lol. I know. Dramatic cliffhangers are the worst! I promise I'll update as soon as I can. Please feel free to leave your reviews.**

 **Trivia: Did anyone notice the Disney movie reference I put in this chapter. If you did, let me know!**


	5. The Reveal

**Hello again! Welcome back, and sorry for making you wait. I've had a hectic month to say the least. I've been slowly working on this chapter and was finally able to finish this morning. I really wanted to post it this morning, but if I took the time to do that I would've been late for work. Lol. So, please enjoy the latest update of** ** _This Unexpected Life._**

 **All characters belong to their creator, Craig Bartlett.**

Chapter 4: The Reveal

I couldn't recall a time ever feeling as odd as I did then. My entire body was numb and tingling. My skull felt like it was full of water, and I couldn't seem to breathe normally. I felt the numbness start to fade as I began to wiggle my fingers and toes. All I could think of at that moment was _"Well, at least I'm not dead"._

My eyes fluttered open and I was staring directly at the ceiling of my bedroom. Somehow I ended up in my bed under the covers. Last place I remember being was the bathroom, but everything after that was fuzzy. Feeling rather annoyed that this was the second time today I managed to pass out, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. Once my vision became clear, I noticed Phoebe immediately. She was sitting on the edge of my bed staring at me with an intense look.

"Oh, Phoebe!" I sighed in relief. "You will not believe the dream I just had." I placed my hand against my temple. As I became more aware of my surroundings, certain thoughts began to flood my mind. I must've passed out while waiting for the results of the test because I could suddenly recall staring into the bathroom sink and there were dark blue plus signs marked all around the bowl. Then, when I looked up at the mirror, there was a giant blue plus sign that matched the little ones in the sink. Then everything melted away into darkness. Weirdest dream I've had in a long time.

Phoebe roughly placed her hand over my mouth to stop me from continuing my sentence.

"I'm going to stop you right there, Helga. Because I already know that what you're about to tell me wasn't a dream." she said in a very calm, yet stern voice.

I raised one side of my eyebrow at her in a curious manner. How does she know about my dream? And how can she possibly say that it wasn't. It was too ridiculous to be reality.

She removed her hand from my mouth and closed her eyes before she spoke again.

"Helga..." she opened her eyes once more and looked at me. The next two words she said to me sounded muffled. Almost as if my brain didn't want to comprehend them.

Without any change in my expression, I glanced over to my right and noticed the test that I was sure I left in the bathroom was now placed on my night stand. I turned my legs to the side and out from under the covers. I was hesitant to reach for the stick, but with a shaky hand, managed to grasp it.

Visions of the random dream flooded my mind once again. Dark blue plus signs. Even when I took my eyes away from the test, I could still see them floating around me. I must've hit my head during the last fainting episode.

Almost as if something inside my brain snapped, my body went on auto pilot. I stood up swiftly from the bed and walked over to the trash can across the room to put the pee stick where it belongs.

"Helga?" I could hear Phoebe call for me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm late for softball practice." I said in a monotone voice. I made my way to my closet and began to dress myself into my practice uniform.

"Helga, you can't go to practice. You need to go to the doctor!" She exclaimed standing up from the bed. "Until you see a doctor, you really shouldn't be participating in any vigorous sports."

"If I'm late again, Coach Stark will have my head." I replied remaining monotone. After I finished dressing, I grabbed my already made gym bag and made my way to the door. I couldn't dare look back at Phoebe. I could hear her call my name before closing the door behind me.

I don't even remember how I got to school, but I remember being out of breath once I made it. I must've been running. After a short lecture from Coach Stark about my tardiness, without a word I made my way to home base ready to bat. I felt like my mind was playing tricks on me the entire time, because each time the ball was thrown my way, all I could see were those damn blue plus signs again. I was completely thrown off my game.

"Pataki!" I heard Coach yell for me after practice ended. I glanced over to her, and she motioned for me to join her in the dugout.

"Yeah, coach?" I said flatly.

"You've been off lately, Pataki." She began. "You've been missing practice, and when you do make it to practice you're either late or you're not playing like I know you can. Today, you did both! Is there something going on that I need to know about?"

I could feel my chest tighten at her question. "No ma'am." I replied instantly. My mouth was quicker than my brain. Of course I knew something was going on, but my emotions are reacting as if there wasn't.

"Alright. Well whatever IS going on, get it under control before this weekend. You're my star player, and we can't win the championships without you." She placed her hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner before making her way out of the dugout. I was left alone with my thoughts. I knew she was right. I knew I had to snap out of it. I have no reason to be struggling. I have no reason to not be succeeding in school and in softball.

I said that, and yet...I still felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

After a long, sad walk to the locker room to grab my things, I made my way out of the school gates with my brain full of mush. If it wasn't for his voice, I would've kept walking and ending up god knows where.

"I figured you'd still be here."

I lifted my gaze up from off the ground and my eyes fell upon the football-headed boy in front of me. It took me some time to realize what he said, and as soon as my brain comprehended his words, I scowled as deeply as I could at him.

"What are you stalking me now or something, football head?" I said angrily. After my question, I felt a drop of water land on my nose. Arnold must've felt it too because we both glanced up at the sky to find that it was beginning to rain.

"I just thought I'd walk you home." He replied while opening up his umbrella and placing it over me to shield me from the rain. I tried my best to keep the scowl on my face, but I could feel it slowly fading away. This wasn't the first time Arnold and I shared an umbrella, and every time we have, it was always a fond memory of mine. There was no way I could stay angry, even if I wanted to. My heart was stronger than my mind at this point, and the unfortunate truth was that I was still head-over-heels for this boy. _Crap..._

"Whatever floats your boat, hair boy." I turned my head away so he wouldn't notice my fading scowl. After a few second, I snapped my head back to face him as he linked his arm with mine. My chest instantly tightened. He was smiling so sweetly at me, and I'm sure he knew I was putty in his hands.

We began our walk toward my house as the rain continued to fall. It was silent between us for the first few minutes, but we still kept our arms linked.

"You know, this brings back memories." Arnold spoke up. My eyes widened at his comment.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you probably still don't remember this, but when I accidentally beaned you in the 4th grade and you caught amnesia, I walked you to school just like this." He gestured toward our linked arms. I could feel the familiar warmth flood into my cheeks. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I couldn't believe how desperate I was to spend time with him. Even to the point of faking amnesia. _Jeez, Pataki. How low can you go?_

"Oh." I replied while looking away. I wasn't sure what to say. I didn't want to risk giving myself away. I'm sure he already thinks I'm a basket case. No need to add fuel to the fire.

"It's funny..." Arnold continued. "As much as I thought I couldn't stand you back then, taking care of you was surprisingly easy. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would." I could see him looking at me with that half-lidded gaze that I adored.

More silence followed. I was so nervous that I didn't want to say something stupid. Technically, I should still be furious with him for what happened between us, but right now I can't bring myself to keep hating him. It was exhausting.

"Well..." I paused and swallowed the lump in my throat as if trying to swallow down my anxiety. "I n-never did thank you for taking care of me back then." He stared intensely at me, as if he was hanging on to every word I said. "I also never thanked you for helping me today. So...th-thank you." I could feel my face explode with heat. Why was that so hard for me to say?

I finally took the little remaining courage I had to look over at him. He was giving me a warm and adoring smile. One I had often dreamed about. And one that I had only seen one other time...on THAT night.

"Q-quit looking at me like that, football head!" I could hear the embarrassment in my voice. Suddenly he stopped walking, which caused me to halt as well since we were still linked by the arm. I looked in front of me and noticed that we made it home. I sighed in relief as if I were holding my breath the entire walk. It sure felt like it at least. I looked back at Arnold only to find he was still giving me that look.

"Helga..." he released his arm from mine and placed his hand gently on my cheek. I felt like melting into a puddle. Instinctively, I leaned my cheek into his warm, masculine hand. I closed my eyes in content. This just felt so right. And yet...

That same feeling of guilt and betrayal washed over me like a tidal wave. As much as I want to be with him like this, my heart is still trying to repair from the damage in his wake. As I opened my eyes to tell him what I was feeling, I saw his face inch closer to mine. His eyes were closed, and I was able to register immediately exactly what he was trying to do.

"Arnold, no!" I lifted both of my hands up to push his chest away from me. His eyes flew open, surprised by my sudden action. I don't think he was expecting that to happen. "This is wrong. I can't forget what happened between us, but that doesn't change the fact that you're with her." He cocked an eyebrow up as if confused by my statement. I groaned in annoyance. "With Lila." He's still as dense as ever.

He sighed in disappointment and grabbed one of my hands that was still on his chest while the other one was still holding the umbrella over us. "Helga, I'm not with Lila. I never was! It was a huge misunderstanding."

"Yeah, right! I see you two together all the time. I wasn't born yesterday, Arnoldo." I replied in anger. Did he take me for an idiot or something?

"She just hangs around me all the time. That doesn't mean we're dating. Truthfully, it's getting really annoying, but I don't want to hurt her feelings by telling her to leave me alone." he tried to explain.

Somehow, his excuse set me off. I yanked my hand out of his grip and I could feel my face heat up with anger rather than embarrassment.

"You are such a wimp!" I yelled at him. "You're letting this girl hang all over you when you don't even have feelings for her? Grow some balls and tell her the truth. All you're doing is hurting her by thinking she has a chance. You idiot!" Something inside me snapped. I went on a complete rant. Although, it felt good to get my recent frustrations out, I knew I needed to stop before I said something I would regret. "Honestly..." I continued. "How can I expect you to take charge and be a father when you don't even have the backbone to stand up to a girl-" I slapped my hand over my mouth. Too late...

Arnold leaned his head to the side in confusion. "A father? What do you mean?" he asked. He looked genuinely confused. Thank god for his density, because I cannot deal with this right now.

Without a word, I turned and ran up my front steps, and walked inside the house before slamming the door shut.

I leaned against the door with my hand against my chest. I couldn't believe I just said that. What was I thinking? Obviously I wasn't thinking, because if I were, this wouldn't be an issue. I shook my head to clear away my frustrating thoughts that were still swirling around in my mind. Thankfully for me, Arnold will never connect the dots. That boy is way too clueless for his own good.

I quickly paced up the steps to my bedroom and locked myself inside. Today had been too long of a day and I was ready for sleep. I could worry about damage control tomorrow. After changing into my night gown, I slumped my way over to the bed. As I sat down on the mattress, something caught my eye. I turned to look over at my night stand and my eyes widened at the sight. It was the pee stick.

 _"Phoebe..."_ It didn't take me long to realize that she was probably the one to put it there. As if I didn't have enough problems to worry about. In complete anger, I forcefully grabbed the test from off the night stand and swung my arm back ready to chuck it across the room. However, something inside me wouldn't allow my arm to finish the throw. I sighed in defeat and slowly lowered my arm. I figured there was no use and wasting anymore energy that I didn't have, so I decided to tuck it away inside a drawer.

I could feel my eyelids getting heavy as they threatened to close. I took one final yawn before I tucked myself under the covers to fall into a deep, much needed, slumber.

 _"Don't give up on me."_

I felt my heartbeat quicken as I glanced around the dark and empty room I was suddenly in. I could hear voices call out to me, which caused my defenses to go up.

"Who's there?" I called out to nothing.

 _"I need you._ " the voices continued.

"You better show yourself, or you'll have to answer to ole Betsy!" I punched my fist into my open palm for emphasis. I wasn't sure if I was still in my house or not, but clearly there was someone, or something nearby that was trying to talk to me. But I wasn't about to let my guard down.

 _"Please don't give up on me."_ The voice grew louder. _"I need you, and you need me."_

"What the heck are you talking about?" I asked awkwardly. "Who are you?"

 _"Don't give up...Don't give up...up...up...GET UP!"_

My eyes shot open and I clenched to my chest as I sat up abruptly. I was desperately trying to get my breathing under control as I glanced around me. I was back in my bedroom. I could feel beads of sweat drip down my temple. What the heck just happened?

"HELGA! Get up, sweetie. You're gonna be late." I could hear Miriam call out from outside of my door.

"O-okay, Miriam. I'm up." I called back, still feeling out of breath. I glanced over at the clock and noticed the time. I jumped out of bed and made haste to get ready for school. At that moment, I didn't even have time to process the dream I just experienced. Today was AP exam day, and if I was late, I wouldn't be able to take it, which would royally screw me.

After getting dressed I ran downstairs taking two steps at a time. On the way down I lost my footing but was thankfully able to catch myself before taking the fall. I could hear Miriam call out to me saying something along the lines of "good luck on your exams", but I was too distracted to respond. Without even being sure that I grabbed everything, I was out the door and running with all my might down the street.

By a miracle of faith, I made it to the school gates with still 10 minutes left to spare before the first bell rang. I must've been running faster than I thought. I slowed my pace in the hall to try and catch my breath as I made my way to my locker.

It was no surprise that I happened to find Phoebe standing by my locker, as if she were waiting for me. It was way too early for whatever she was about to discuss with me.

"Helga, we need to talk." she stated firmly. Here it comes...

"Can't it wait, Pheebs? I really need to stay focused here." I replied nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry, Helga. But this is not something you can just put on hold. I'm calling an intervention." I looked at Phoebe in surprise. I've never seen this side of her before. She's never been one to stand up to me, at least not often. But, I could tell she was serious, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. I sighed in defeat before closing my locker.

"Alright." I responded, giving her my full attention. "Let's talk."

"I know this is a scary time for you, Helga." she began. "I know it's one of your defense mechanisms to completely ignore troubling situations, but if you don't start taking care of yourself, it will be harmful to you...and to the fetus."

My stomach churned. It was the first time I had actually shed light on the fact that there was a living human inside of me. I didn't exactly ignore it, It's been in the back of my mind since I took the test. But Phoebe was right, I always tend to avoid these kinds of situations in an attempt to cope.

"I don't want to be the one to make assumptions," Phoebe continued "but...the father...is Arnold, isn't it?"

I turned my face away shamefully. I never spoke to Phoebe about what happened that night, but the great thing about our friendship is that I don't have to ever say much. She's usually very perceptive, and I've always admired that about her. I couldn't find the words to answer her question, so all I could do was nod.

"I think you should tell him, Helga."

"Are you kidding me!?" I finally spoke up.

"He deserves to know. After all, it is his child." she defended her statement. I knew she was right, but I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do about this. Adding Arnold into the mix might confuse me and complicate the situation. I took a deep breath to control my outburst of emotions before responding to Phoebe.

"Okay, let's say for a second that you're right, and that I should tell Arnold. If that were true, what would I even say to him?" I argued. "I can't just walk up to him and be like 'Hey football head, how's it going? Enjoying the weather today? Oh, by the way, I'm knocked up. And news flash, hair boy, you're the father.'"

Suddenly, I heard a loud thumping sound from behind me. I quickly turned around to look at the source of the noise, and my heart stopped. There stood none other than Arnold, with a look of absolute terror, and books scattered on the ground in front of him. The only explanation could be that he was carrying those books and dropped them in shock at the sound of my confession. A confession that he was NOT supposed to hear. _Double crap..._

 **AHHHH I've been dying to get this chapter out to you guys for so long! Hope you all enjoyed it. Please remember to leave a review. All comments and constructive critiques are welcome. Thank you!**


	6. The Confession

**I'M BACK! I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to update. I'll be starting school again soon for the summer semester, and work has been crazy. Plus, I won't lie, I've had some serious writer's block. I've tried to plan out this chapter as much as I could before writing it. And truthfully, this isn't even what I wanted to full chapter to be. But, I know you all have been waiting patiently, and I wanted to get SOMETHING out to you guys as soon as I could. So, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. But, I hope you enjoy it anyway. Stay tuned for more!**

 **All characters belong to the original creator, Craig Bartlett.**

Chapter 5: The Confession

The silence between us was deafening. We couldn't seem to pull our eyes away from each other no matter how hard we tried. I was certain my facial expression was mirroring his. A look of true shock and horror. I had just openly confessed a dark secret. A secret that was not intended for his ears...at least not yet.

 _Think, Helga. THINK! How do you get yourself out of this mess? You've done this plenty of times before. Just come up with a lie. Tell him you were rehearsing for the school play. Tell him you were reading over your junior exit project essay with Phoebe. Tell him something! That gullible football head will believe anything._

My thoughts were racing. I couldn't slow them down enough to be able to speak out a coherent word. I felt like my breath was hitched in my throat. I could feel a drop of sweat roll down my temple. I was a mess.

I noticed Arnold's face relax, and he had this look of complete sadness and guilt. His gaze made my heart clench. I was still hoping somewhere in the back of my mind that he had misunderstood me. He dropped his gaze down to the floor for a brief moment before lifting his head back up to face me.

"Helga..."

"May I have your attention please. Will all AP students please report to your AP classes at this time for testing. If you are in more than one AP class, please report to your homeroom. Again, please make your way to your assigned classrooms for AP exams. Doors will be closed and exams will begin in exactly 5 minutes. Thank you."

The PA system that was blaring over our head interrupted Arnold. I saw this as my golden opportunity to escape. As much as I hate feeling like a coward and running away from my problems, I couldn't face him. Not now.

Before he had the chance to continue, I quickly turned on my heels and bolted down the hallway in the opposite direction. I could hear him call out to me in the distance, but my legs wouldn't stop. They carried me all the way to the classroom.

Once I made it outside of the door, I stopped to catch my breath, which was the most difficult thing in the world at that moment. I felt like crying, screaming, and fainting all at the same time. This was way to much for my mind to handle. Especially right before one of the most important tests of my life.

"Helga, is everything alright?"

I looked up to find Mrs. Lancaster at the doorway giving me a concerned look. I quickly picked myself up and took one last deep breath.

"I'm fine. Just preparing myself for the exam." I lied. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a complete lie. But, it wasn't exactly the truth either. I was trying to clear my mind in preparation for the exam, but I was nowhere near "fine".

"I'm sure you'll do just fine. Come take your seat, I'll be closing the door here shortly." Mrs. Lancaster smiled as she ushered me into the classroom.

I sat in my usual seat, trying to seem as "normal" as I could. I didn't want to draw any attention to myself, but I was certain that the more natural I tried to act, the more awkward I appeared. Mrs. Lancaster closed the classroom door and began her lap around the classroom to pass out the exams. She was giving instructions as she made her rounds, but of course, my mind was too fuzzy to comprehend. I knew these next three hours would be brutal.

"Any questions?" Mrs. Lancaster asked while looking around. No one responded. "Alright, then. You may begin."

With the signal to start, the entire classroom filled with the brief sound of papers shuffling as they opened their test book. I did the same so I wouldn't stand out by opening mine later than the others. As the classroom fell silent, you could hear only the scratching sounds of pencils writing against their papers furiously, and the clock ticking, almost tauntingly. I had my pencil in my hand pointed directly at the paper, but I couldn't prompt it to move. All I could see was Arnold's face. His saddened looking constantly flashing in my mind. The sound of his voice as he called out to me after hearing my confession. I could feel my chest tighten at the memory and a lump began to form in my throat. _What the hell am I going to do now?_

"Time's up. Pencils down. Test books closed."

I looked up with wide eyes at Mrs. Lancaster. I then quickly glanced at the clock. Indeed, three hours have come and gone. I looked back down to my answer sheet and I felt my chest tighten even more. I didn't answer a single question.

"You may bring your answer sheets and test books up front and head to lunch." Mrs. Lancaster continued with her instruction as everyone began to shuffle once again to gather their belongings.

I felt the urge to cry at that moment knowing that I probably ruined my entire future. Before I had the chance to do so, I shut my booklet, grabbed my bag and ran up front to submit it. Without looking up at Mrs. Lancaster, I placed my papers on her desk and bolted out of the door.

Once I made it outside of the door, I brought my head up to face forward. For some odd reason, I expected to see a certain football head standing out in the hallway waiting for me. I was sure he would want to confront me after I ran away from the situation earlier. But, to my surprise, he was nowhere in sight.

I felt somewhat relieved that I didn't have to face him right away. Especially after the torture I just went through. I made my way down the hall toward the cafeteria. I had to find Phoebe. She would probably have some great advice on how to handle this mess.

As I continued toward my destination, I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around me. One grabbed me by my waist while the other covered my mouth to stop my attempted scream. Before I realized what happened, I was dragged into the nearby janitor's closet. I clenched both of my fists, ready to beat my kidnapper to a pulp once the opportunity arose.

"Don't scream. It's me."

I immediately loosened my clenched fists once I heard the familiar voice. Although my body relaxed, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand erect. No matter how much I did not want to see him, the sound of his voice whispering in my ear does certain things to my body that I wouldn't be able to control even if I tried.

He slowly released me from his grip and I turned to face him. I had several emotions causing a stir inside of me. I was unsure of which one I wanted to act upon first. I was angry, scared, embarrassed, and sad all at the same time. I knew exactly why he pulled me in here, but I still was not prepared to face the situation.

"What the heck is wrong with you, football head? Are you trying to get punched? Because grabbing me like that will definitely warrant a good pounding to your face." I decided to act upon the first emotion I could grasp, which was anger. I was not amused by this little kidnapping stunt he pulled, and I wanted to make sure he knew that.

"I'm sorry, Helga. But I had a feeling you wouldn't come with me on your own free will after what happened this morning." he responded, looking guilty as he gazed toward the ground. I could feel my face flush at his words. He wasted no time bringing that up.

"Yeah...well, just don't let it happen again. Got it, bucko?" I attempted to divert the conversation by continuing with my angry facade. I could only hope that this would prolong what I unfortunately knew was inevitable. I straightened out my clothes that were askew due to his aggressive behavior, refusing to look at him.

"Is it true?" I froze at his sudden, yet expected question. I could feel the sweat seep from the glands of my face once again.

"Th-that you're lucky I didn't pound your football head flat? Yeah, I'd say that is true." I responded sarcastically. Of course I knew exactly what he was talking about. But I sure as heck wasn't going to be the one to openly talk about it. If it were up to me, he still wouldn't even know. But, the fates have proven time and time again that they were indeed not on my side. And I would once again have to live with the consequences of my big, fat mouth.

"Helga..." Arnold said in a scolding tone. I crossed my arms in response and turned my head completely away from him, as if I were a child pouting because they were being reprimanded. "Is what you said this morning true?"

I was thankful that I decided to turn my face away when I did, because I was certain my anxious facial expression would deceive my cold and calm demeanor. While I stood my ground physically, my mind was spiraling out of control.

 _Okay. Don't freak out. Just talk your way out of this. Tell him it was a joke. Who is he to question that real truth behind that anyway?_ As that thought ran across my mind, my face fell in despair. That was just too cruel to say to Arnold. Too cruel even for me. Shortly after that thought, I came to the realization that I had absolutely no other excuses to give. My shoulders slumped forward in defeat. It was time to come clean.

I slowly turned my head to look at Arnold while the rest of my body stood still. At first, he seemed surprised that I actually turned to face him. It was that adorably dense look on his face that I've always loved. In that same moment, that look lit a fire of rage inside of me, and my face fell into a scowl once again.

"Criminy! Of all the times in our entire young life that you have been a dense idiot, NOW you decide to be some wise guy that can actually take a hint? Pick a personality, football head. Either be a clueless sap, or don't be!" I could feel something inside of me snap. I was slowly losing my mind. This was all way to much for one person to handle. I was so deep into my rant that I didn't notice Arnold's face contort into a look of confusion. "Seriously! Do you know how many years I've said some of the most embarrassing things known to man, and you've never caught on to any of it? Of all of the moments you've walked up on me in the middle of some poetic monologue, not once did you realize what I was doing. You even believed the crappy excuses I gave you back then, too. You idiot!" In the middle of my heated statement, I didn't notice Arnold making his way closer to me.

I felt that I had so much more to say, but all of my thoughts ceased when I felt Arnold grab onto both of my hands. I looked into Arnold's eyes and I felt that familiar tingle in the pit of my stomach once again. How in the world is he able to make me melt so easily? Man, how I hate him for that.

"Helga..." he spoke in just above a whisper. His eyes never left mine. "Please...just tell me the truth."

The genuine plea in his voice seemed to cause a break in the dam that had been holding back my tears. I could feel the water well up in my eyes and my vision blurred while trying to find the right words to say. I lowered my gaze to the ground, refusing to let Arnold see me this vulnerable, as I once again dropped the biggest bomb ever on him.

"I...I took a test at home." I began, trying to fight the stress I felt on my throat. "And...it came back positive." I could feel his hands flinch in mine. If I know him, he was probably feeling just as lost and confused as I was. I turned my head to the side again, refusing to look up at him. I gulped deeply, still trying to fight back the tears. I knew I had to pull myself together. Shortly after that, I pulled my hands out of his grip and pulled my shoulders back in an attempt to compose myself. "But, it must've been a false positive, right?" I continued while still turned away from him. "I mean we used a condom that night. So there's no way I could be..." I didn't dare say the word.

Silence followed for the next few seconds. After I didn't hear Arnold's agreement to my statement, I hesitantly turned to look at him to make sure he was still alive. I wouldn't blame him if he weren't after I basically destroyed his life with my confession. As my gaze fell onto him, I noticed his face was not one of anger or sadness, but one of...embarrassment? His entire face was glowing red. As soon as his eyes met mine, he immediately turned his gaze away. At first I didn't understand why he was acting that way. But, as quickly as I asked myself why, the metaphorical light bulb flickered on above my head.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" I yelled. My sudden outburst seemed to cause Arnold to jump back an inch or two. I was livid so it was only fair for him to be terrified right now. "You didn't wear a condom!? What the heck were you thinking!?"

"I-I didn't purposely forget a condom!" Arnold said shakily in defense. "I was caught up in the heat of the moment."

I could feel my face heat up due to the relevance of his comment. More so of embarrassment than anger. Still, that didn't stop me from continuing my lecture.

"That's no excuse, hair boy! Didn't you learn Sex-Ed in San Lorenzo? Or is it that uncivilized that everyone just does it without any regard to future?"

"Hey!" Arnold finally perked up and started to tower over me. I realized in that moment exactly how tall he had grown in the last 7 years. "You can't put all of the blame on me, Helga. It takes two to tango."

I leaned back in shock. I wanted to retort, but I knew deep down that he was right. It wasn't entirely his fault. I was just as easily caught up in the heat of the moment that night. And I am just as much to blame for this. Even though my heart wanted to apologize for my outburst, my mind willed me to remain silent. Stupid pride.

There was silence between us for what seemed like several minutes. We both didn't dare make eye contact. I was staring blankly off to the side, trying to figure out how to continue this conversation without fighting. Finally, Arnold's defeated sigh broke that silence.

"Helga..." he began. I turned my head to look at him. He looked somewhat remorseful. "I want to be involved. I want to support you. After all, this is partly my doing. I feel I should take responsibility."

Part of me was swooning at his nobility for wanting to step up and offer his support. I somehow knew that this was what he was going to do. His do-gooder spirit never ceased to amaze me. However, the other part of me was feeling a sense of guilt. It almost seemed like he was only doing this because he felt he should, and not because he wanted to. I mean who would really want to raise a baby at 17 years-old? I wasn't even sure if I wanted to myself.

"Look, Arnold..." I spoke up. "I'm not even 100% sure if I am...you know." I still couldn't bring myself to say the word. "I need to go to the doctor to find out for certain."

"I'll come with you." he immediately responded.

"Don't stress, football head." I said while shaking my head at him. "I will go alone. And, if it turns out that I am..." I hesitated for a moment. "then I am giving you a free pass."

Arnold looked at me with confusion in his eyes. I couldn't help but sigh, knowing that I would have to practically spell it out for him. He really is hopeless.

"I think I need to make a decision on my own. The possibility of this being real is going to change my life forever, and I need to think about it rationally." I explained.

"Helga, I think we should decide this together. This could affect both of our lives." he said. He was right. But, with the options that are available to us in this situation, I somehow knew what he would decide. If I was being completely honest with myself, I wasn't sure if that is really the route I wanted to take. I needed time.

"I'm not trying to sound like one of those crazy feminists, but this is MY body, Arnold. This needs to be MY choice. If I ended up letting your decision influence mine, I might end up resenting you because that might not be what I want. Or vice versa." I looked away before I spoke again. "And to be honest, the thought of resenting you doesn't sound appealing. It breaks my heart, actually."

"Helga..." Arnold began to speak. I could tell what I said caught him off guard. He seemed to be at a loss for words. Before I gave him the chance to find them, I made my way past Arnold toward the door. I grabbed hold of the door handle and paused. I turned my head to take one last look at him before I left. The look on his face was making my chest tighten. I took a deep breath and turned my head back to the door in front of me.

"I'll let you know what I decide." I said in a quiet voice before I opened the door and left Arnold alone in the closet.

 **And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed. Please stay tuned, and please be patient with me. I will try my best to upload more as soon as I can. Thank you all for your kind reviews so far. You guys give me so much motivation to keep writing, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. :)**

 **Until next time!**


	7. The Compromise

**GUESS WHO'S BACK!? I am SO sorry that it has taken me so long to upload the next chapter. Life has been giving me the run-around, and I've been trying so hard to catch up. Since today (10/10/18) is "World Mental Health Day" I decided to take a "Mental Health Day" from work, which has given me time to finish this chapter (FINALLY)! I really hope you guys enjoy. Again, I am not a professional writer. I do this only as a hobby. So please keep that in mind.**

 **All characters belong to their original creator, Craig Bartlett.**

 **Chapter 6: The Compromise**

"Good Afternoon. Checking in for new patient, Helga Pataki."

I could hear Phoebe's cheerful voice from across the room. I glanced at my surroundings and took a deep breath. There were pictures of happy, smiling babies plastered on every wall. Sweeping the view of the lobby, I saw women. Some were obviously pregnant. Some even were pregnant with a little toddler sitting right next to them. I still couldn't believe I was here. This felt like a dream.

 _Dream? More like a nightmare!_

While Phoebe was taking care of all the necessary paperwork, I was left alone with my thoughts. As I was taking in my current surroundings, I couldn't help but notice how there was not a single male sitting with the women. Clearly the women had to have at least had a partner to get them in this situation. Not even one of the fathers even thought to attend the doctor's appointment with them? Talk about selfish.

 _"I think I need to make this decision on my own…I'll let you know what I decide."_

I could feel my shoulders slump forward after hearing my own voice in my head. I was one to talk about selfish. Arnold was more than willing to come and support me, but I was the one who blew him off. I don't exactly regret saying what I said to him, because I still believe it. I still think it's better for me to make this decision without his suggestions to cloud my judgement. I just didn't expect to feel the consequence of loneliness after coming to that conclusion. It was rather unsettling.

"Okay, Helga. I have all the new patient paperwork here. Just some brief medical history and demographics." Phoebe walked up to me and held out a clipboard with some papers attached. I heard her and was aware that she was there. But I couldn't bring myself to lift my head up and show that I acknowledged her. I was too lost in my own mind. After a few moments of silence, Phoebe sat down in the open chair next to me.

"Why don't I start the paperwork for you? I basically know the answer to all these questions. You can check my work after I'm done." Phoebe lowered her head and began scribbling on the papers. How I was ever so fortunate as to end up with Phoebe as my best friend, I'll never know.

"Helga."

I lifted my head at the sound of my name coming from the opposite side of the room. It was the nurse calling for me. I looked over at Phoebe. I must have had an obvious look of fear in my eyes, because she gave me a warm reassuring smile.

"It's okay. I'll be right here when you're done."

I slowly nodded my head and stood up from my chair. I felt like The Little Mermaid. Every step I took felt like walking on broken glass. But, I knew I had to push through the pain. I finally made it up to the nurse who called for me. She smiled as she held the door open and gestured for me to follow her.

"Okay, Ms. Pataki, I'm going to have you leave a urine sample for me." She handed me a small plastic cup with an orange lid. "When you're done, I'm going to take you to our lab to get some blood drawn."

I nodded reluctantly and made my way into the bathroom.

The next few moments went by in a blur. Almost as if I went on auto-pilot. I didn't even remember getting poked for blood. The next thing I knew I had a bandage wrapped around my arm and I was being escorted into an exam room.

"Okay. Here is a gown. I'm going to ask that you completely undress and put this on. Dr. Bowman is going to perform a complete exam on you since this is your first visit. The gown opens in the back, and ties around your lower back and behind your neck." She was holding the gown up in front of me to demonstrate how she wanted me to put it on. "Once you're completely undressed and wearing the gown, you can go ahead and lay down on the table. Do you have any questions?"

I slowly shook my head and she gave me one last smile before walking out and closing the door behind her. I was left alone in this tiny room. After taking a minute to examine my surroundings, the only thing I noticed were the unsettling 3-D replicas of a growing fetus inside a woman's uterus. The view sent a shiver down my spine.

I looked back down at my hands which held the gown that was given to me. I took one last deep breath to calm my nerves before I began to undress as I was instructed. Once I was completely exposed, I began to slip the gown over my arms. As I attempted to tie the string behind my back, the top part of the gown kept slipping off my shoulders. I had to cross my arms over my chest to prevent the gown from slipping off me completely.

Suddenly, the sound that came from the door behind me made me tense up.

"Helga, before you say anything I just need to explain that I want to be-"

If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn my eyes were bulging out of my skull. There he was, standing there at the door of my exam room, and here I was, standing in the middle of the room almost completely exposed.

Several seconds went by, though it felt like an eternity, before my face finally broke into a heated blush after realizing the situation I was in. Arnold had just walked in while I was attempting to change into a gown. I had never felt more vulnerable. I acted on my first instinct that kicks in when I'm embarrassed, which usually consists of yelling and, in this case, throwing things across the room.

"What the hell football head! Haven't you ever heard of knocking!?" As I screamed at Arnold, I began taking every item I could reach off the counter and chucked it in his general direction.

"Helga! Stop! I'm sorry. I didn't know you were in the middle of changing." He pleaded as he dodged each item I threw his way.

"Well, that's why you knock, dumbass!" After I ran out of items to throw, I backed away into the corner using one arm to cover my chest and the other clasping the backside of my gown.

"Okay, I promise I will look away and let you finish." He held his hands up in surrender and turned to face the door. In response, I turned to face the corner of the room. Our backs were towards each other.

It took me a minute to collect myself before continuing to put the gown on.

"So…" I began as my fingers fumbled with the strings. "What _are_ you doing here, hair boy?"

"Well, I wanted to tell you something." He responded in a shaky voice. There was a moment of silence after he spoke. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay…what are you waiting for, paste-for-brains? You might as well talk now. I'm assuming its important since you just barged right in." I said sarcastically. Arnold cleared his throat before speaking once again.

"I just wanted to say that…I understand." I stopped what I was doing to give him my full attention. "I understand you wanting to make this decision on your own terms. I completely respect that. I know it didn't seem like it at first, but I promise I will respect whatever decision you make from now on."

His words caused the warm, familiar heat to flood into my cheeks. He coughed slightly and continued.

"With that being said…I'm also here because I still want to offer my support. And, I promise no matter what you decide, I will respect your wishes and stand by your side every step of the way."

I realized in that moment that those were the words I so desperately needed to hear. Especially right now. I was scared and felt more vulnerable than ever, which wasn't the norm for me. I was so relieved that we were facing the walls on the opposite side of the room because I just knew my face was as red as a tamale. Before I could speak, I needed to get my heart rate under control. I could feel it pounding in my ears after his declaration. I took a deep breath in before slowly and loudly exhaling, feeling the heat leave my face as the air left my lungs.

"Th-there's no getting rid of you, is there?" I responded with a weak chuckle. I could hear him snicker shortly after.

"No. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid." He joked. There was no way I could stop the smile spreading across my face. After a few seconds, I realized I was still mostly exposed. I turned my gaze over my shoulder to glance at Arnold, and noticed he was indeed still facing the door. I took my hand off the fabric against my chest and attempted to tie the strings around my waist once again. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful.

"Dammit! Stupid gown…" I cursed under my breath. Even though I was having difficulty, I was too stubborn to quit.

"Do you need some help?" Arnold asked. I looked over my shoulder once more and saw he was still facing away from me. I groaned in defeat. I hated asking for help, but I was also way too impatient to handle another failed attempt.

"Fine…but don't look." I said with an obvious pout. I could hear him giggle quietly.

"That will be kind of difficult, don't you think?"

I put my hands back in the positions they were in before as I saw him turn around to face me. My back was still to him as I looked at the wall in front of me.

"Just shut up and help me." I retorted.

I waited what felt like forever before I felt a slight tug at the fabric of the gown. I could tell he was close in proximity. His scent was undeniable. It was also incredibly comforting. There was a dead silence between us. The air was stiff. Almost as if there was still a tension surrounding our auras. Was it from the conversation we just had mere seconds ago? Were there other unresolved conflicts we hadn't touched? My mind was racing as I tried to ignore the fact that he was so close to me.

Suddenly, my skin felt prickly as his fingertips traced the back of my neck. I must have made an obvious reaction because Arnold finally spoke.

"Sorry. My hands must be cold." He said softly. I could feel his breath in my ear when he spoke which caused the prickly feeling to run down my entire back. If only he knew how warm his hands were on my cold skin. How I longed for those warm hands again.

With that thought, something inside me snapped. I didn't care if he was finished tying the strings or not, I turned around abruptly to face him. Once I was facing him, whatever courage I thought I had melted away when I realized I was in fact nose to nose with my true love. It felt like he was sucking the air from my lungs, so I backed away slowly to create some distance between us. After only two steps, I felt a grip on my lower back, which caused me to jump slightly out of my skin.

"Careful!" I heard Arnold exclaim. I turned my gaze behind me and noticed that I was incredibly close to running right into the corner of one of the counters. I also realized that the grip was indeed Arnolds own arm wrapped around my lower back.

"S-sorry…" I said meekly. I turned my head forward and locked my gaze onto Arnold. I took this moment to observe every detail I could. From his alluring green eyes to his luscious lips, and eventually down to his well-defined chest that I could see through the t-shirt he was wearing. He really was perfect in my eyes. Before I could stop myself, I gently placed my hands upon his chest. What I wasn't expecting was to feel Arnolds heartbeat, which was beating rather quickly. Was he just as nervous to be this close as I was? My eyes trailed back up to meet his and I noticed his face was a warm pink color. I was truly enthralled by his reaction. I could feel my eyelids lower slowly until I was staring at him through a half-lidded gaze. My mind became foggy as I noticed his face inching closer to mine. I was too weak, physically and mentally, to interject.

Suddenly, a brief knocking sound came from the door before it creaked open.

"Good Afternoon, Ms. Pataki." a female voice came from the other side of the door as a brunette in a white lab coat entered the room. "I am Dr. Bowman, your Obstetrician." She closed the door behind her.

By the time she had begun opening the door, Arnold and I were on opposite sides of the room once again. I'm sure there was no hiding either of our blushing faces at that moment.

"And who do we have here?" Dr. Bowman asked in Arnold's direction.

"I'm Arnold…I'm….uhh…" Arnold was stuttering as he took Dr. Bowman's outreached hand to shake it.

"I'm assuming you are the father to the fetus in question?" She answered bluntly. Her direct nature caused Arnold to cough a few times. I noticed his face turning a darker shade of red. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Y-yes…yes he is." I spoke out on his behalf. They both turned their attention towards me. Arnold's face seemed to be burning and his eyes were as wide as saucers. Dr. Bowman only smiled in response.

"Wonderful! I love when the fathers are present for the appointments. It doesn't happen as often as I'd like." She said in a cheerful tone. That seemed to make Arnold release the tension from his shoulders. The color in his face returned to normal and he exhaled as if he had been holding his breath. I, on the other hand, could feel sweat dripping down my temple. I was still incredibly nervous, and I wasn't sure if having Arnold here was helping with that.

"Alright. Let's get started. Helga, have a seat up here on the exam table for me." Dr. Bowman instructed. I complied by sitting right on the edge of the table as she pulled out a foot rest from underneath my legs and assisted me in lying back until my head hit the pillow. The crinkling of the exam table paper heightened my anxiety for some reason. "I'm going to perform a full-body exam on you, which will include a breast exam, just to check for anything that may be of concern. While I do that, I'm going to ask you some questions, okay?" I only nodded in response.

She began palpating certain areas of my body, agreeing to save my breast exam for last so I can ease into feeling comfortable with her touching me.

"So, your paperwork states that you took a home pregnancy test that came back positive is that correct?" she asked as she continued pushing down on different areas of my body.

"Y-yes." I responded.

"And how long ago was that?"

"2 days ago."

"I see." She paused slightly as she was pushing firmly on my abdomen which caused a wincing reaction from me. "And have you had any symptoms?"

"Symptoms?" I asked. I knew what she meant but for some reason my brain couldn't register her question.

"Any nausea? Vomiting? Cramping? Trouble using the restroom?" I cringed at how personal she was getting. But I knew it was her job. Even though I was embarrassed to talk about it in front of Arnold, I swallowed my pride and responded.

"Y-yeah. I've been throwing up almost every morning for the past 2 weeks." I could see Arnold staring at me from the corner of my eye. This must all be such a shock to him. I can imagine he must finally be putting the pieces together. Realizing that my episode in English class the other day plus my strange behavior was all due to this. Knowing Arnold, he's probably kicking his own butt for not noticing sooner.

"Any bleeding?"

"N-no. I did notice I missed my period this month." I could feel a slight blush fill my cheeks. This was getting a little too "TMI" for my liking.

As Dr. Bowman was listening to my responses, she casually made her way to my breasts to examine them. As she began applying pressure to the sides, I jumped slightly at the unfamiliar feeling. I wouldn't say it was pain, but it wasn't pleasant. Dr. Bowman noticed my reaction.

"Feeling sore?" she asked. I looked at her in confusion.

"What?"

"Your breasts. It's normal for them to feel sore especially if you're pregnant." I looked down at my chest and noticed they looked a little more swollen than usual. I realized that "sore" was closer to the sensation that I felt.

"Yeah. I guess they are a little. I hadn't noticed it until today." As I spoke I glanced over at Arnold. I wasn't at all surprised to see a Red-faced Arnold staring off into the distance. I wanted to chuckle at the sight but fought the urge to do so. His embarrassed reaction was too cute for words!

She removed her hands from my chest and walked to the corner of the room. I glanced over at her and watched as she pulled a computer monitor on a wheeled cart towards me. She then began rummaging through something at the edge of the exam table.

"Okay, Helga. I want you to prop your feet up into these stirrups for me." Dr. Bowman instructed. I picked my head up off the pillow and noticed two metal rods sticking out diagonally from the bottom of the exam table. The end of the rods formed into an oval. I must have been giving her a confused look because she smiled at me before gently grabbing my foot to assist me.

"Scoot your bottom all the way to the end of the table." She instructed. As I followed her directions, she lifted my foot into the air and began placing the heel of my foot into the oval-shaped end of the stirrup. Before she could grab my other foot, I placed it into the other one myself. She nodded in approval.

"Now…" she continued as she began pressing buttons on the computer in front of her. "This next part is going to be probably the most uncomfortable part of the whole exam, but this is to show us if we do in fact have a little fetus to worry about." She then sat down on the stool at the end of the table, which made me slightly uncomfortable since I was fully exposed to her at this point.

"Dad, why don't you go up by her head and hold her hand. Might make both of you a little more comfortable." My heart practically stopped at her request.

 _Dad_ …

Even though my emotions were unclear about the situation, thinking about the fact that Arnold of all people would be the 'Dad' to my child felt like a dream come true. Granted, the dream couldn't have come true at a more inopportune time. I still felt like a child again, fantasizing about making a family with Arnold.

Arnold slowly stood up from the chair he was sitting in across the room and made his way over to me. I couldn't look at him right away because I wanted to get the obvious blush on my face under control. But once I felt his warm, strong hand grip onto mine, there was no way that was going to happen. I turned my head to look up at him and was somewhat relieved to see that I wasn't the only one having a predicament.

"Alright, Helga. I'm going to explain to you what I'm going to do so you're not surprised. Okay?" Dr. Bowman said which broke my attention off Arnold. I nodded in response. "This here is my sonogram probe." She said as she held up a long stick with a bulb shape at the end of it. The probe was connected to the computer by a thick wire. "I am going to put some lubricant on it, and gently push it inside of you. If you are pregnant, you most likely aren't very far along, which means this is the best way we can see the fetus. I know it's going to be a bit uncomfortable, but I will be as gentle and quick as I can be. It will help if you try and stay as relaxed as possible. Do you trust me, Helga?"

Listening to her explanation was filling me with anxiety. But I knew this was all part of the process. I must have given off an anxious vibe because I could feel Arnold's hand gripping mine more firmly. I glanced back up at him and saw a warm, reassuring smile. Without words, I could tell he was saying "I'm here. Don't worry. I'll be here the whole time." That alone was enough to calm my nerves. I took a deep breath in and exhaled before turning back to Dr. Bowman and giving her a firm nod.

She began fumbling with her supplies, and I placed my head back onto the pillow trying to stay calm and relaxed like she asked.

"Okay, Helga. Take a nice deep breath for me, and when you start to feel pressure, exhale slowly."

I did just as she instructed, and just like she said, I began to feel pressure. I knew I had a high pain tolerance, but the awkwardness of a foreign object inside of me was a little too much for me to handle. I closed my eyes tightly and focused on exhaling deeply even though it was staggered.

"Great job, Helga. I'm in. I just have to adjust the scope, so I can see what I'm looking for." Dr. Bowman praised me while she continued to maneuver the probe.

"That's great doc, but could you make it snappy, I'm dying a little over here." I retorted. Trying to be comical but found it increasingly difficult when all I wanted to do was rip her head off. Arnold began chuckling at my response which caused me to open my eyes wide and glare at him.

"What the hell are YOU laughing at, football-head? You're the reason I'm in this situation to begin with!" I snapped. I could tell my angry comment upset him, but before he could respond, Dr. Bowman interjected.

"We have a visual."

We both turned to face the computer monitor and our eyes widened at the sight. It didn't seem like much, but we both knew exactly what we were looking at. What the black and white little peanut-shaped blob represented.

"There's your baby." She turned to us with a smile. Both of us, however, were glued to the screen. We were speechless. After a few minutes of silence, my gaze fell from the screen when I felt a slight, sharp pain as Dr. Bowman pulled the probe out. "I recorded while I was in there, so you can keep watching it. I need to grab some info pamphlets for you, so I will give you both a few minutes." With that final statement, Dr. Bowman stood up and walked out of the room.

Arnold and I didn't even bother looking at Dr. Bowman as she left. We were too involved with the monitor in front of us. Once we were alone, the silence finally broke.

"Th-that's…" I started. I couldn't find the words to say. My mind was completely blank.

"A baby." Arnold finished my sentence. I turned my gaze to look at him while he was still focused on the screen. The look on his face both excited and terrified me. I had never seen him so…happy. While I wanted to be happy with him, I was still unsure of what to do next. I still had to make the most difficult decision I've ever had to make. How could I possibly do that now after seeing Arnold's face.

 _This is why I didn't want him to come. What am I gonna do now?_

 **WOO! I still can't believe how long this chapter has taken me to write. I literally have been working on it since May.**

 **I would also like to point out that I have never experienced going to an Obstetrician, so I am not 100% certain if this is how the process goes for early pregnancy appointments. However, I do work in the medical field, so I know some things about the process.**

 **If you noticed anything falsely stated in this story, I apologize. Most of this story will be off the top of my head, and only based on what I know about the human body during pregnancy. Since I have not experienced it myself, it might not be as truthful. So I will apologize for that in advance.**

 **Please leave your reviews. I take all forms of constructive criticism. Thank you for sticking with this so far. Stay tuned!**


	8. The Discussion

**Oh. My. Goodness! You guys! Thank you so much for your patience. I have been experiencing the WORST writers block. Today, I finally had a free day to sit and write up a plan for this chapter. You guys have waited long enough. So without further ado, the continuation of** ** _This Unexpected Life_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this story. The original characters belong to their creator, Craig Bartlett.**

Chapter 7: The Discussion

The remainder of the appointment was spent discussing all of my possible options for this situation. I was incredibly grateful for Dr. Bowman taking time to go through them very carefully with me. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like she was judging me for being in this predicament. If I had to guess, I'm not the first knocked up teenager she's had to deal with. But, I was still happy that she seemed supportive of whatever I decided to do. It was a nice change of pace considering most of the adults in my life aren't very supportive. After Dr. Bowman was done, she had the nurse lead Arnold and me back out to the lobby. We were greeted by Phoebe immediately. She jumped out of her chair and ran up to me.

"So, how did it go? What did they say?" She interrogated. I wasn't sure what kind of facial expression I was making, but she looked incredibly worried as she asked.

"Well, it turns out there's something growing in there." I replied placing a hand on my lower abdomen. "It's still really early. Doc said I'm close to 5 weeks pregnant." I noticed how monotone I was sounding. I guess it hasn't fully hit me. Either that or I've already been desensitized to this information.

"I see." Phoebe responded. She could immediately sense the tension and dropped the subject. "Well, shall we head out, then?" She asked while turning toward the door. All I could do was nod in reply.

The three of us walked down the sidewalk in silence. I could feel Phoebe and Arnold glancing at me every now and then, but I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts. A life-changing decision needed to be made, and it needed to be made very soon.

Suddenly, I felt a force stop me in my tracks. I looked back to my hand which was trailed behind me. I discovered it was being held back by Arnold. My gaze trailed from our conjoined hands all the way up to Arnold's face. He had that adorable half-lidded gaze plastered on his face.

"Hey Phoebe?" Arnold looked past me and called out. Phoebe stopped and turned to face us. "Do you mind if I steal Helga away for a bit?"

I turned my focus from Arnold onto Phoebe. She remained silent but I could see the conflicted look in her eyes. I knew she was thinking of my wellbeing, and she was waiting for a sign from me to see if she needed to save me from being alone with Arnold. All I could do was sigh. I knew I wouldn't be able to escape this conversation. Might as well face it now.

"It's alright, Pheebs. I'll call you when I get home." I said to Phoebe. She nodded in response, and continued down the sidewalk. I turned my attention back to Arnold, who still had a firm grip on my hand. He pulled gently until I started stepping towards him. He turned and started walking in the opposite direction of where we were going, dragging me along with him. Normally, my pride would happily interrupt this golden opportunity to hold Arnold's hand, but for some reason, I had neither the desire nor the energy to pull my hand out of his grip. _Geez, it must be this pregnancy. I'm going soft._

We walked in silence for what felt like hours, hand in hand. I prayed my hand wouldn't start sweating. What an embarrassing moment that would be.

"Mind telling me where you're dragging me to, Arnoldo?" I finally spoke out. Arnold turned his attention towards me.

"You'll see." He replied with a smirk. I scoffed at his cockiness. As much as I secretly loved his mischievous look, I still had enough pride left in me to keep that little secret to myself.

Finally, Arnold stopped in his tracks which caused me to stop as well. We were standing in front brick building on the corner of the street.

"Slausen's?" I asked in disbelief. "What are we doing here?"

"I figured you were hungry. And what better way to finish a stressful day than with some ice cream?"

I raised an eyebrow at Arnold's response. Something inside me was telling me there was an ulterior motive to this random outing. Right as I was about to question him again, I was silenced by an embarrassing sound. My stomach betrayed me.

Arnold giggled at the sound of my noticeable hunger. I felt his hand slip out of my grasp, which almost caused me to shiver from the lack of warmth. I looked towards Arnold and noticed that he was holding the door into Slausen's open, gesturing for me to walk in. _What a gentleman!_

I walked into the ice cream parlor, with memories of April Fool's day all those years ago flooding my mind. I couldn't help but feel a little melancholic. Those were such simpler days. The days of my youth—scheming up plans to get closer to Arnold no matter what it took, yet still adamant about keeping my love for him a secret. How I'd give anything to have such simple worries, again.

I found an open booth in the corner of the parlor and made my way over to it with Arnold following close behind. I scoot into one side of the booth while Arnold sits right across from me, clearly not taking his eyes off of me. His intense gaze made me a little nervous, so I tried to glance all around the room, looking at anything but him.

"Hi, welcome to Slausen's. What can I get you two?" A nasally voice caught our attention. I was so distracted that I wasn't at all prepared to order anything.

"An extra large, triple chocolate shake, please. Two cherries." Arnold replied. I looked at his direction and noticed his gaze still on me.

"And for the lady?" The waiter asked me.

"Uh…m-make that two, please?" I responded a little shaky. I'm sure the blush was evident on my face. I can't believe he remembered that. It was so long ago, and I was certain he was so annoyed with me back then.

As the waiter walked away, I turned my eyes away from Arnold's. I felt like I would go blind if I kept staring into his eyes. _Oh, the irony of that thought._

"So…" I finally broke through the silence. "What's going on, Arnold?" I propped my elbows onto the table and looked back at Arnold. "What did you really bring me here, for?"

"Why so suspicious?" Arnold defended. "Can't two friends get a bite to eat together?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, knowing fully well that he would eventually crack and tell me the truth.

Finally, Arnold sighed in defeat. "Well, I figured this would be a nice place to talk about some private…things."

After a few moments of eyeing him, I finally broke away my attention and reached my arm out to grab the waiter that was passing by our table.

Arnold watched me with a shocked expression as I plucked the notepad and pen out of the waiter's hand and ripped a piece of paper out of the pad before handing it back to him.

"Now move along, toots." I waved him away. The waiter, who seemed to look lost, slowly walked away from the table.

I could see Arnold shake his head while smiling. I ignored him as I began scribbling on the paper. He leaned in close to see what I was writing. I pushed the paper in front of him.

"I think we both can agree this is a very adult situation. And adult situations require logical thinking. So…" I flipped the paper over back and forth multiple times. One side of the paper had the word PROS written on the top, and CONS written on the top of the other side. "Let's think logically."

Arnold stayed quiet. I took that as approval to continue. "Let's start with the possible CONS…" I clicked the pen and placed the tip of it on the paper. I then looked up at Arnold waiting for him to say something.

"Uh…" he muttered. "Well…the most obvious issue with all this is our age. I mean, it's not really ideal to be parents at the age of 17." I began writing as he talked.

"Not only are we 17, but we're still students. We have a whole year of high school left. The statistics are not really in the favor of teen parents finishing school." I said while continuing to write.

"Yeah…and I've heard babies aren't cheap. I heard a mom in the store yesterday complaining about how expensive diapers are these days." Arnold said timidly. I could tell the heaviness of these issues was starting to sink in. I knew they weren't easy to talk about, but they needed to be discussed.

"Not to mention the fact that we're not married. Heck, we're not even dating. How are we ever going to parent this kid?" I asked. When I didn't hear a response from Arnold, I looked up from the paper and noticed his face fell into obvious sadness. My heart clenched a bit. I definitely had no intention of upsetting him. I awkwardly cleared my throat, not knowing how to comfort him right now. "Ya know…I think that's plenty of CONS, don't you think?" I could see Arnold perk up a bit at my statement as I flipped the page over to the other side.

"Right…so now the PROS…" Arnold spoke up.

"…"

"…"

The silence was deafening. I was trying so hard to come up with something…anything! But I couldn't honestly say there were any positives that could possibly come out of having this baby.

"Two extra large, triple chocolate shakes, extra cherries." The voice of the waiter caused us both to flinch. I guess we were both so lost in our thoughts we weren't expecting him.

"Thanks." Arnold replied as the waiter set down the glasses in front of us.

More silence followed. After a few more minutes of neither of us speaking up, I sighed heavily. I didn't want it to come to this, but if I were being honest, I knew this wouldn't end any other way.

"Well, it looks like the decision has been made." I said as I began to crumple up the paper in front of us.

"Wait!" Arnold exclaimed as he grabbed my hand that held the balled up paper. His sudden action took me by surprise. I stared at his hand that held mine with a tense grip. I looked up toward his face. I couldn't ignore the immense sadness that reflected in his expression. It was heartbreaking, but at the same time, it was enraging!

"Arnold…you promised." I said quietly, trying to keep my voice down. "You promised that you would be okay with whatever was decided!" I could feel tears threatening to fall, which caused them to sting in my eyes. I felt betrayed.

"I know. I know I promised." Arnold said quietly. He averted his gaze to the table. "It's just…" He gulped loudly before lifting his head to face me once again. "Helga, it just doesn't feel right to not keep this baby." I could tell he was having a hard time speaking his mind. I know he wanted to be supportive, but he was obviously conflicted with his own personal feelings. More than anything, it's difficult for him not to be honest about his feelings.

"Arnold, this is ridiculous." I whispered. I didn't want to cause a scene in this restaurant, and I certainly didn't want all of Hillwood to hear what we were discussing. "You clearly saw all the reasons why we shouldn't keep the baby." I tried to reason with him without being too harsh. "I mean, can you honestly tell me what good will come out of having a baby together?"

"I get to be with you."

I felt my breath get caught in my throat. The sudden cut off of oxygen to my brain was making me a little dizzy. I almost doubted that I heard him correctly. _Did he really just say that? What is going on? What is he thinking?_

I remained silent while staring at him. _What am I supposed to say to that?_

Arnold's eyes widened as he stared at me. I think he finally realized what he just said. He cleared his throat and finally spoke up.

"Just…" he began. "can you take at least a day or two to think about it? It's a really big decision to just jump into head first." His piercing green eyes locked onto mine. "I don't want you to do something you might regret later in life."

"Arnold," I began. "I will regret not finishing school. Not going to college. Not living my life to the fullest." I could tell Arnold was hanging on to every word I said, but I could see his shoulders slumping forward, as if coming to the realization of the truth behind my words. "I know you will regret that, too."

I could feel his grip on my hand loosen, but he did not remove his hand from mine.

"You're right." He said in a tone that sounded completely defeated.

"Besides," I spoke up, trying to relieve some of the tension between us. "The pamphlet that Dr. Bowman gave me says that they make women wait three days before doing anything. It gives the woman plenty of time to think it through." Arnold sighed, almost as if he were calming himself down. Hearing that must have eased his mind a bit. "So, we still have some time. But, let's be honest, we both know this will be best for the both of us."

All he did was nod in response.

"Okay." I said, successfully putting an end to this conversation. It was getting too heavy, even for me.

Suddenly, I felt another hand place itself on mine. I looked up and saw Arnold with both of his hands gripping mine. It was a tender grip. One filled with a great kindness. It was beyond soothing. While feeling his skin on mine still made me nervous, my heart felt at ease. It just felt…right. Like this was how it's always supposed to be. How it was meant to be.

I was lost in his eyes. The eyes that never fail to turn me to mush when they locked onto mine. This felt even more true ever since I found out I was pregnant. Whether it was the hormones, or something else, who knew. I couldn't care less at that point. It felt like we were the only ones in the room. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else could possibly steal my attention away from this guy. From those eyes. From those…lips.

Without even realizing it, his face drew closer to mine, and I made no attempt to widen the gap. Things were so complicated and messy between us still, but I couldn't deny my feelings. I couldn't deny my heart what it so desperately longs for—and that's Arnold.

We were mere inches from each other's face. At any moment, I knew I would feel those delightful lips on mine, and my feet would literally float off the ground from the pure surge of ecstasy.

"Hey, look! It's Arnold!" A familiar deep voice erupted inside the parlor, completely shattering the illuminating atmosphere that surrounded us just moments ago.

"Hey, you're right. Look Miss Lila, your sweetie pie is here!" The undeniable southern accent that could only belong to Stinky Peterson called out.

I wasn't sure how or when it happened, but Arnold and I were both sitting back in our seats. We were no longer holding each other's hands.

"Arnold!" A sugary sweet voice exclaimed. The red head came charging up to our booth and sat herself right beside Arnold. She leaned in a planted a feathery kiss on Arnold's cheek. I couldn't help but notice he tried to pull away at first, but he knew he couldn't possibly be that rude even if he tried. "What brings you here? I was certain we were supposed to meet up after school, today." She slide her arm under his and pressed herself against him.

"Yeah, and what are you doing here with Helga, anyway?" Harold said as he approached the table along with Stinky and Sid.

"Oooohhh, is this a secret lovers meeting?" Sid joked.

"No way! He wouldn't do that to Miss Lila. Especially not with someone like Helga!" Stinky interjected.

 _Ouch…I know I don't normally care what people think of me, but it still hurts to hear stuff like that._

"Actually, I was just leaving." I stood up from my seat. I knew Arnold was staring at me, but I refused to look at him. The whole situation was humiliating, and honestly, it was still too painful to see them together.

"Helga, wait…please stay?" Arnold begged. I ignored his plea and headed towards the exit. I could hear him continue to call out for me. I couldn't faintly make out the boys asking why he was wanting me to stay anyway, which he gave no reply.

As I walked out of Slausen's and across the street, I fought hard to keep myself from looking back. In the end, I lost that fight. I stopped once I was on the sidewalk again, and turned to look back towards Slausen's. I could see Arnold and everyone else through the window. Arnold was watching me. His expression was sad. I knew he was begging for me to come back, but I just couldn't. I looked forward once more and continued my journey home.

It didn't take long for me to arrive at my front door. Once I got inside, I called out to see if anyone was home.

"Mom? Dad?"

I could hear noise coming from the living room. I looked to my right and saw Big Bob lounging in his chair.

"Hehehe. What an idiot! I coulda told ya it wasn't that!" Bob was yelling at the Television. Watching "The Wheel" I'm sure.

I slipped past the living room undetected and made my way to the kitchen. I peaked in and felt my shoulders slump at the sight in front of me. Miriam was passed out, once again, with an empty glass in her hand and a clearly used blender in the sink. I slipped out of the kitchen and made my way upstairs to my room.

Once I made it to my room, I made sure to close the door and lock it. I sat on my bed, feeling exhausted, both mentally and physically. My emotions had never experienced this kind of roller coaster before. Especially not in one afternoon. I experienced nervousness, relief, sadness, happiness, confusion…all the emotions one human could possibly feel.

I looked down at my hand and noticed I still had the ball of paper squeezed tightly in my fist. I opened it back up to glance at it one last time. I couldn't help but feel stuck staring at the blank side of the paper. The side that could not offer any positive reasoning to carry on with this pregnancy. I took a deep breath and placed the paper down on my nightstand. I then slowly reach into my pocket to retrieve my cell phone.

I immediately noticed several missed calls and text messages from Arnold.

 _"_ _Helga, I'm so sorry. I didn't think they would show up there."_

 _"_ _Helga, can you please call me? I still want to talk to you."_

 _"_ _Did you make it home okay? Call me when you get this."_

I read through each of the texts. I didn't have the mental capacity to respond to him. At least not yet. While holding the phone in one hand, I reached into my back pocket, which held one of the folded up pamphlets that I got from my appointment today. My hands were shaking as I read over the pamphlet one last time. I took another deep breath as I dialed the number listed at the back of the pamphlet.

"Hi, my name is Helga Pataki. I need to schedule an appointment to terminate a pregnancy."

 **I'm sure this is not how you expected this chapter to end. Don't freak out just yet! Now that I finally jumped this "writer's block" hurdle, I'm hoping to give you guys more consistent updates. Again, I appreciate your patience. Please don't lose faith in me just yet. Until next time!**


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